LA Dodgers hats can no longer be worn at VHS. Graphic by: Sawyer Cameron

Many single letter sport team logos are now banned at VHS

VHS students returned to school this year to find that they can no longer sport the Dodgers logo. Students were brought into the grade assemblies and were told which hats are no longer allowed on campus. 

The symbols that are no longer allowed on hats are A, A’s, LA, O and W. Obviously some students are frustrated with this rule because the logos of their favorite sports teams aren’t allowed anymore. I personally cannot wear three hats I own to school because of this rule. I can’t even wear my favorite baseball team’s hat.  But this isn’t the end for Dodgers fans at VHS because students are allowed to have Dodger apparel if it is spelled out. This goes for all the other banned team logos as well. 

Daniel Skall ‘26 said, “They should get rid of that rule.” 

People should be able to express themselves through their clothing and their favorite team’s merchandise. Being a proud fan of teams has also started conversations with people I would have never talked to before.

If you have a hat that has been banned and cannot afford a new one, the school will provide a VHS hat for you.. Principal Marissa Rodriguez said, “When we have [enough] funds, we do provide VHS hats to students who may not be able to afford to purchase a new hat.” I think that this is pretty cool to open up options for kids who can’t afford another hat that isn’t banned.

According to Rodriguez, the new hat rule was set up to protect student safety. She said, “We determined that VHS will not allow certain single letters and ‘LA’ hats to be worn to avoid distractions on campus or safety issues/concerns.” 

How is wearing an LA hat a safety concern, you may ask? According to Rodriguez, the Ventura Police Department informed VUSD the newly banned logo can suggest gang affiliation. 

Rodriguez said, “VUSD works closely with the VPD and we are provided updated information regarding community issues/concerns that allow us to make the best decisions possible for our school community.” 

I understand why they may think that some letters of the hats may be a safety concern. Personally, I don’t believe that this is affecting kids as much as they think it is. When I asked Rodriguez if there has been any cases of the hats causing a disruption she could not inform of any.

Another reason is because they don’t have this rule at BHS. If this was such a big safety concern causing students to be harassed or assaulted, why don’t they have this rule at another school in the same town?

Overall I couldn’t find a clear and valid reason justifying why these logos should be banned. I think that there wasn’t enough research done into this rule before being implemented. If it was really a well-founded rule, then it should have been implemented since day one of in-person school after the pandemic.