Many kids at Highlands want to wear their hoods, but teachers tell them to take them off, and the students do not know why. The teachers tell them it is because it is a school policy, but it is way deeper than just that.

Whether to wear hoodies in school is one of the most controversial discussion topics around Highlands. The reason for this controversy is that kids want to wear the hood up either to feel safe or to find a way to hide headphones of some sort. On the contrary, teachers argue that students should not have their hoods up because there is a risk that they are then not listening or paying attention in the classroom.

“Students need to be visible at all times. 9 times out of 10, if a student has their hood up, their AirPods are in, and they are not listening,” English teacher Katherine Simon said.

While teachers claim that the students have their AirPods in and are not paying attention to teachers and their assignments, there is also an argument about comfort. 

“I think hoods can symbolize feeling. Like, if you are having a bad day, you can keep your hood up, kind of showing that maybe they want to be left alone. Or, like if you are held, you can just wear your hood and you could feel more comfortable,” Kayson White (10) said.

While keeping the students’ opinions about feeling comfortable or wanting to be left alone in mind, there is also a safety issue involved with wearing hoods. For example, if there is an emergency that is happening, faculty need to be able to identify students’ faces at all times.

“So it is a safety issue first and foremost. For example, if we need to look at cameras, if something happens, and kids have hoods up, we won’t be able to identify them,” Assistant Principal Jennifer Nash said.

While safety remains a main concern for many faculty members, some students see room to compromise.

“As long as we are doing our assignment and staying on task, we should be able to feel comfortable,” Morgan Pompillio (12) said.

The ongoing debate at Highlands shows that both students and faculty have valid reasons for their opinions. For students, hoods bring comfort, warmth, or a sense of privacy. For faculty, the concern is based on safety and engagement. Finding a balance between comfort and school safety may be the next step. Allowing students to express themselves and enforcing clear safety rules are both important.