Many students celebrate as Downers Grove South has altered its dress code, making the school’s headwear policies more lenient than previous years.

In the past, all students had been required to take hats off upon entering the school building. However, various students were discontent with this rule, as they felt that it took away their self-expression and individuality.

One of these students, Junior Wyatt Schumacher showed his support on the matter.

“I believe kids should be allowed to wear hats because it’s their right to. Also, if you are insecure about the way you look, a hat can go a long way to fix your appearance,” Schumacher said.

As Schumacher pointed out, wearing hats is not only a freedom of expression. It is also a huge form of comfort for many. Schools not currently allowing students to wear hats in the building may be proposed with the question of how students can be capable of learning and thriving in the school environment if they feel insecure and are self-conscious.

As DGS prepared for the new school year, the administration and board took into consideration the students’ call for change, deciding to allow hats to be worn in the building going forward.

“We are allowing students to wear hats this school year based on what we observed during the spring. We did not observe any disruption to learning or safety concerns with students wearing hats during this time and therefore decided that students could wear hats moving forward,” said Dr. Karen Taylor.

DGS holds strong to valuing student voice and nonuniformity, but also wants to ensure a safe learning environment. As a result, there are still restrictions in place on headwear, which are described in detail in the 2021-2022 Student Parent Handbook.

“There may be no reference to cults, satanic groups, or gangs, including, but not limited to items worn on one side of the body, bandannas, head coverings, mismatched shoelaces, or scarves,” the handbook says.

Despite these bans, the student body as a whole seems to generally understand and respect these rules, thriving in the rewards of their self-advocacy.