The BHS administration updated the Student & Parent Handbook over the summer, lifting the ban on beanies and allowing students to wear brimless hats without consequences. 

This dress code rule has frustrated students for years. 

Asst. Principal Aubrei Erkins explained that after hearing student voices and speaking with Director of Security Officer Colton Pekarski, she decided to allow beanies.  

“He would still be able to identify people with beanies on,” she said. “That’s why we ultimately decided that students would be allowed to wear the beanies.”

Many students feel that this change will give them more freedom to express themselves while maintaining safety standards. 

The previous rule prohibited all hats, including beanies, citing safety and identification concerns. The administration argued that brimless hats, like hoods, could be a distraction to learning and also make it challenging to identify students. 

Many students, such as senior CJ Payton, were frustrated by the rule.

 “It’s just a hat on somebody’s head; it can’t really distract anybody or shouldn’t,” Payton said. “ It wasn’t really a danger to anybody.”

Other students agreed, noting that the policy felt ‘outdated.’ 

Junior Kayla Allamby said the ban had caused unnecessary problems. 

“I think that [the rule did not]  make sense,” she said. “ It’s not a hood, and you can definitely tell who someone is with a beanie on.”

Sophomore Alex Goldfarb added that the new policy allows students to feel more comfortable expressing themselves. 

“I think it’s great that we can wear beanies now,” he said. “It gives us a little more freedom and helps people show a bit of personality.”

The fight to change the hat policy can be traced back to at least 2022, when BHS alumnus Aiden Ward, with what started as a sociology project, turned it into a movement against the ban on beanies, “Beachwood4beaniez.” 

Although the movement didn’t gain much popularity, Ward said he was glad to finally see changes to a policy he saw as outdated.

“I was a big fan of beanies back then, and I found the anti-hat rule pretty pointless,” he said. “It was honestly pretty annoying to me because they took that rule very seriously, and it felt, again, pretty pointless.” 

Many students say beanies are not just for fashion but for comfort as well. Asst. Principal Aubrei Erkins agrees, and she hopes it will help students feel safer. 

“It’ll help with the cold here, or [with students who say] my hair is messed up so I can’t go to class,” she said. “You know that more students are now comfortable and able to be in class.”

With this change, Payton suggests that this rule change presents an opportunity for students to express more school spirit.  

“They could make Beachwood Bison beanies,” he said. “People could wear the beanies to school or events.”

Junior Kayla Allamby agrees. 

“Maybe people will wear Beachwood-themed hats when there’s about to be a football game,” she said. 

According to Erkins, the administration prioritizes the safety of both students and staff. Beanies are allowed as long as they don’t cover the student’s face or disrupt learning in classrooms.