No winter hats at school?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Dd (2nd Grade) told me yesterday that her teacher said that they were not allowed to wear winter hats at school. She was a bit taken aback- she had taken her new knit Minnie Mouse hat and was told she was not allowed to wear it.

I thought for sure dd misinterpreted and the teacher really meant no hats being worn inside. But dd insisted that the teacher said hats couldn’t be worn outside at recess.

DH says it’s probably because the teachers don’t want to deal with kids losing hats. I get that, but isn’t that unfair to kids..sometimes a hat is best way to keep them warm.

This morning it was 28 degrees and windy, within a “feels like” temp of 19 degrees. Yes no big deal for y’all from the north but we are in Texas and this is cold for us and most don’t have thick puffer jackets with hoods etc.

I’m also annoyed that they automatically get indoor recess if it’s a “feels like” temp below 32 degrees. My son gets super antsy if he doesn’t play outside and looks like this will be day 2 of indoor recess where they mainly watch TV.

Is all this just due to lack of resources (not enough teachers and staff to deal with kids playing outside)? My son would happily play outside if it was 30 degrees or even 25 degrees for 30 minutes...If he had a hat and jacket he would be good. But hats aren’t allowed. Is something similar done in anyone else’s school?

[smilequeen]

Is it lice fears? Either way it’s ridiculous. I’ve never heard of such a thing. I suppose it’s not as big a deal since they don’t get to go outside anyway (yes, our threshold for indoor recess is wind chill under 15 and we are more wimpy than even farther north).

[umsh]

I’d email the teacher to clarify about the hats.

As for avoiding going outside, my guess is either the teachers don’t feel like going outside bc it’s cold (like you said, in the south we don’t have that many days which are so cold, so people usually don’t have super warm winter gear). Or there are kids who aren’t dressed appropriately for the weather, don’t have warm enough coats, so they’re hesitant to take the class out.


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[carolinacool]

That seems strange. I would email the teacher just to be sure. I can understand not wearing hats while inside the building.

I'm not sure if our school has an official temperature threshold for staying inside. Last year, his second-grade teacher, who is from Ohio, made a point to send home notes saying her kids would be going outside in colder weather, so please outfit them accordingly. It may be teacher dependent. However, I also understand that since we live in NC, not everyone will invest in big winter coats or understand how to layer to stay warm. I guess if a teacher sees enough kids in her class without proper coats, she/he she might elect to stay in.

ETA: Or what UMSH said.

[bisous]

I’m guessing your school doesn’t have problems with gang affiliations? That was the reason we couldn’t wear hats in high school! I would ask about that policy. I bet it has to do with kids not having appropriate winter gear (like hats, right? 😜). Can your DS get his outside time after school?

[TwinFoxes]

I would clarify with the teacher, and by "clarify" I mean I would tell the teacher that my daughter is allowed to wear her hat outside when it's cold.

As for the 32 degree rule, to the kids in your school typically have clothes that are warm enough for that temp? Our school has to send home reminders that kids are expected to dress appropriately for outdoor recess, and if there's an issue with not being able to afford a coat the school will get supply one. The email is actually aimed at the boys who insist on wearing shorts practically year-round. But at least they *have* coats to wear. I'm betting in Texas not everyone does. So, unless they're going to supply everyone who only has a heavy fleece with a winter coat, I understand the 32 degree rule. (In preschool I think the rule was 20 degrees. We had a co-op preschool. I hated those days, I froze my butt off!)

[div_0305]

I can only think of lice concerns as a temporary reason for banning hats, but a policy like that would have to be communicated by the principal. I really doubt this is a rule at a public school anyway. We also follow the 32 degrees rule. I think I heard that it's very hard on little kids' lungs to breathe and play in that temperature. At another school we went to, a lot of kids did not have proper cold weather clothing--I was sure they secretly followed a 45 degree rule. It was sad seeing how poorly dressed many of the kids were, despite umpteen free clothing drives with coats, boots, and gear piled high in the cafeteria--all for the taking and no questions asked.

[Snow mom]

Here the kids are required to put their hats and gloves inside the sleeve of their jacket when going to lunch so they don't lose them between the classroom and recess. It makes my DS so mad. Anyway, there are certainly ways to deal with losing hats, although some get lost either way. Kids can't wear hats inside but they do wear them at recess. We don't go out when windchild is below 20 and are in an area with a true winter. We also don't go out when it is wet/actively raining. There is no way that our school can keep some kids inside and let others out so they really drill dressing appropriately. If you show up without snow pants and boots in the winter when there is snow on the ground you are required to stay on the blacktop during recess, but they still send them out. I think sometimes when it's just starting to get cold enough kids will forget their gear that everyone has to stay in because too high a number of kids aren't prepared for the weather.

[MSWR0319]

I would email the teacher and make sure you are understanding the rule correctly. DD may have not heard properly.

We live in OH and we have a certain temp that the kids are not allowed to go outside for recess. I believe it's a wind chill of 25, but it may be a bit lower. It's not because the teachers don't want them to go out (trust me, they do!). They are doing it for the safety of the kids. Many kids don't have warm enough coats or bring their coats/hats and there's no way for them to police that and let some in and some out.

[Dayzy]

I'm in NY and our school has the rule where they don't go out to play in anything below 32 degrees. Can you talk to the school and propose that in the event of bad weather that the kids get 15 minutes or so of playtime in the gym? DD's pre-k teacher would take them there and play music for a dance party. She's getting good at the Electric Slide and the Cha Cha Slide.

[mmsmom]

I would email teacher to clarify the hat rule.

When we were in PA the temperature guidelines were set by the state Department of Ed. I seriously considered starting the process to challenge their 32 degree rule because it meant that kids were inside most of the winter. So it may not be up to the teacher or even the school but you could find out.

[Liziz]

Add me to the chorus of "email/talk to teacher directly to understand the hat policy" - it does seem very strange to allow no head protection outside.

We used to live in TX and schools there had similar (or higher temp cut off) levels for indoor recess. It drove me crazy. DD was literally at a place for awhile where they'd only go outside between "feels like" 45 and 85 degrees. I did actually speak to the school about it (as I'd prefer my kid be outside every day basically no matter what the temp, hot or cold) and they basically said that I'm an outlier, and that most parents tended to have issues and throw fits when kids went outside in weather outside that narrow range. Maddening.

I do think the issue of "do children have the appropriate clothing to be outside" is a valid one in low-income districts, though -- Our current school has a very wide range of children and there's a wide range of what the children have available to bring to school to keep warm.