St. Cloud tests ending hat ban after power struggles, cries of discrimination

ST. CLOUD — For the rest of the school year, secondary students in the St. Cloud school district will be able to wear headwear in school — a decision seen as a win for beleaguered staff and students struggling amid the pandemic.

The school board last week unanimously approved allowing students in grades 6-12 to wear hats, including do-rags, hoods and baseball caps, through the end of the trimester as a trial run on the proposed new policy.

Some believe the old policy was discriminatory to begin with. It bans all headwear except for students undergoing chemotherapy or with other medical conditions, or for students practicing a religious belief, such as wearing a hijab.

The purpose of the policy, it states, is to "enhance the education of students by establishing expectations of dress and grooming" related to educational goals and "community standards."

But many districts — including most in the Twin Cities metro as well as the St. Cloud-adjacent districts of Sartell and Sauk Rapids — allow hats.

The goal, according to Anoka-Hennepin school district spokesperson Jim Skelly, is to focus on positive behavior rather than confronting students over relatively minor issues that can escalate and lead to negative situations.

Teachers in St. Cloud schools reported similar concerns since returning to in-person classes this year, telling leadership they are spending an exhausting amount of time arguing with students about hat removal, which is taking away time from learning.

Putnam brought the issue to the school board in December and again in January. Board member Les Green said he thought the community standard still implies people remove their hats indoors to be respectful.

Green, who is Black, also said he feared allowing students to wear hoods and do-rags would give credence to Black students bullying other Black students for "acting white" if they choose to not wear headwear associated with Black culture.

Green said he worried some students would conform to "acting Black," which he described as "wearing hats, hoodies and do-rags, using speech patterns that feign ignorance and [using] exaggerated walking styles." These characteristics, Green said, will result in poor job interviews and being racially profiled in stores, which could "cripple them for life," he said.

"I know a lot of people weren't happy with what Dr. Green said," said Apollo High junior Bren Olson. He said that after the January meeting, Apollo students walked out of class to sign a petition about the dress code policy.

A few hundred students and community members also signed an online petition saying the policy itself is discriminatory because it bans do-rags and bonnets — often worn by people of color to protect or style their hair — but allows bobby pins and headbands.

Green said he disagrees that the community standard regarding hats indoors has changed but said he was willing to vote to allow the temporary lift on the hat ban if it reduces power struggles between teachers and students.

Putnam said she hopes the board continues the conversation, noting it's difficult to define "community standard" in a diverse and multigenerational community.