DaMoshe, exactly, but current students do not know that to the degree that having such an opinion is considered disrespectful.
Here is a quote from a book by a yeshivish Rav who both uses the hats but sees the limits: a boy comes to me and says that he is not comfortable with hat, etc. But I need to ensure that the school has it. One way would be to tell him that hats are right, and you are wrong, and you need to follow the rules, possibly destroying the kid. Another is to tell him honestly: look, I think it would be not a problem for you to dress differently, but it might be a problem for some others. So, I would like to ask you to do it even you are not comfortable and do not really need it, but do it for the sake of others.