Girl suspended for highlighted hair

[amldaley]

I feel like I could argue this one either way, but deep down, this really bothers me. Was it a good decision on the mom's part to let her 12 yo get her hair colored in the first place? (I think 12 is too young, but at 14 I had pink and black hair). But is suspension the right punishment? Did this really have the potential to cause a distraction for her classmates?


What do you think?

http://www.parentdish.com/2011/02/16/bold-hair-hues-lead-to-suspension-for-sixth-grader/?icid=main%7Chp-laptop%7Cdl5%7Csec3_lnk3%7C202022

[bubbaray]

I'd like to think that there are more important things for educators and administrators to be concerned about than hair color.

JMHO.

[mariza]

Hmm, thats a tough one. I opened the link and was expecting to see some fuschia or bozo orange. I don't think that is really drastic and I actually like it. My mom is a hairdresser and never let me color my hair until I was 23 and only then because I did it myself from a box and she had to fix it :hysterical:
Personally I would not let a 12 yo color their hair but I'm not judging the Mom for that decision. I did look up the school's handbook and it seems pretty strict (no jewelry, not even a watch is allowed) so I'm going to say the school was ok in this decision. Private school, they get to make up the rules. I can see how even though the hair isn't really shocking they probably figured if they let this go by, whats next and where do you draw the line?

[kijip]

I think that mom and dad get to decide if it is ok or not for their child. I think hair is different than a dress code, which is about modesty, and kids should be able to color their hair with their parent's consent. I don't think that the school should waste their time on this.

[ahisma]

I think it's nuts. I have a 12 yo DD in 7th grade and I would let her do that, in fact it's a reward on her goal list for grades.

She's not allowed to wear makeup, have unsupervised internet access or wear a lot of the provocative clothing that is "in"...IMO hair color is a pretty safe form of self expression.

[mariza]

I'd like to think that there are more important things for educators and administrators to be concerned about than hair color.

JMHO.

Good point, but I should point out that I had detention just about every day in my private girls HS for wearing the wrong shoes. Just in case your wondering where my opinion was shaped :ROTFLMAO:

[amldaley]

Good point, but I should point out that I had detention just about every day in my private girls HS for wearing the wrong shoes. Just in case your wondering where my opinion was shaped :ROTFLMAO:

What were the "wrong" shoes? Docs? Fluvogs? Chucks when you were required to wear penny loafers? Spill it, rebel!!!

[JBaxter]

Logan ( now 19) went through a phase about 10 where he bleached the top of his dark hair blond. So no I think hair color is a small thing in life. Hair is renewable ;) I would have been really ticked. How is a school (public) the hair police?

oh found a pic of Logans hair during his bleach phase --- he dyed it bright blue once when he got all A's. I cant find that pic,

Wonder if they would have puished him for this?
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o130/jeanaspictures/SmallWorldLogan.jpg

[mariza]

What were the "wrong" shoes? Docs? Fluvogs? Chucks when you were required to wear penny loafers? Spill it, rebel!!!

Haha, yes they were supposed to be brown penny loafers OR brown lace up. I often "forgot" to change out of my white Keds after gym or would try to sneak by in brown clogs. Crazy rebel, i know :hysterical:

[gatorsmom]

I think it's pretty simple. If the handbooks says not to, then nobody should be allowed to. I didn't think her hair was flamboyant but the next kid might color his hair purple. If they dont' treat all the kids the same, it's not fair to anyone. And eventually the handbooks won't mean anything.

I totally agree with what the school did. But then, I got detention for not wearing socks at my high school. It was pretty strict.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I'd like to think that there are more important things for educators and administrators to be concerned about than hair color.

JMHO.

:yeahthat:

[Tondi G]

I think schools have a lot more to worry about than the color of a child's hair. I would rather see a little girl with highlighted hair or blue hair than see girls running around in short shorts (which has been a bit of an issue at our elementary school lately)walking shorts, no more than 2 inches above the knee is what they are supposed to be wearing... how difficult is that?

I dyed my hair red when I was in jr high school ... my hair is brown... I'm not even sure my teachers noticed or they certainly didn't seem to care.

[ett]

I think that mom and dad get to decide if it is ok or not for their child. I think hair is different than a dress code, which is about modesty, and kids should be able to color their hair with their parent's consent. I don't think that the school should waste their time on this.

:yeahthat:

[Pear]

This is a public school? I think the administrators should get the smack-down in court for denying a student access to an education based upon her appearance.

[s7714]

I think they need to spend their time on more important matters. IIRC the girl said something about there being another girl with pink hair in one of her classes, so that makes me question just how across the board the school is actually following their own rule. It should be all or nothing in my opinion!

The younger brother of one of my classmates went through a phase of shaving all kinds of stuff in his hair. He would have been about 10 or 11 at the time. Checkerboards, zig-zags, various wording, etc. He never got suspended or anything because of it, despite the fact it was definitely a distraction when he showed up with a new buzz every couple weeks!

[new_mommy25]

Ridiculous.

[amldaley]

I think they need to spend their time on more important matters. IIRC the girl said something about there being another girl with pink hair in one of her classes, so that makes me question just how across the board the school is actually following their own rule. It should be all or nothing in my opinion!

The younger brother of one of my classmates went through a phase of shaving all kinds of stuff in his hair. He would have been about 10 or 11 at the time. Checkerboards, zig-zags, various wording, etc. He never got suspended or anything because of it, despite the fact it was definitely a distraction when he showed up with a new buzz every couple weeks!

The comment about the other student with pink hair was from another student in a similar case at another school - but your point is still valid!!!!

[ellies mom]

I believe the wording in my daughter's handbook is "no unnatural hair colors", so reddish highlights should be OK. Pink would not be and neither would the blue that I used to color my nephew's hair (with his mother's permission) when he was six.

I'm kind of in the "not worthy of a suspension" camp but that was probably pretty obvious when I mentioned that I colored my nephew's hair blue. I just have to mention that it seems like just yesterday but that six year old nephew that fit quite nicely on my kitchen counter is now a 6'4" 16 year old. I'm getting all misty just thinking about it.

[randomkid]

Initially, I thought it was ridiculous and I still think suspension is a bit extreme, but I went to the school district's website and now I understand. Personally, I thought the hair color was cute and looked much better than the dye job they did to cover it up. However, reading the district's handbook is quite disheartening. Seems to me the girl's mother should have known this hair color would not be allowed. There is obviously a HUGE problem with gangs and violence in this area. The students are only allowed to carry clear or mesh backpacks to school, all jackets and coats must be removed upon entering the school, no long coats allowed, no large pockets on pants (such as those on cargo pants), etc. The dress code is extremely stringent. I also noticed that they have a daycare center for children of employees and children of students. The district has a "discipline school" where the dress code and code of conduct is even more strict. In the general dress code for all schools there is frequent mention of clothing that could be construed as gang related not being allowed. I know this is probably in the dress codes of many districts, but I have never read anything like this district's handbook. No backpacks unless they are mesh or clear? To me, that says a lot about the area and knowing how strict things seem to be, I would think the mother should have checked into it first.

[TwinFoxes]

J Baxter, cute photo.

I wonder if this is a regional thing. I've never lived anywhere with a no hair dye rule in schools, so it does seem really odd to me. But maybe for small town Texas it's common. I'm pretty sure the Supreme Court has ruled dress codes are Constitutional. I don't think that makes this one fair though.

I wonder if they have a gang problem, or maybe they're really paranoid! It seems that sometimes it's the schools that have the least to worry about have the strictest rules.

Private school, they get to make up the rules. I can see how even though the hair isn't really shocking they probably figured if they let this go by, whats next and where do you draw the line?

I think it's actually a public school. I'm curious if that changes your position?

[sunshine873]

I totally agree with what the school did. But then, I got detention for not wearing socks at my high school. It was pretty strict.

OMG - gatorsmom didn't wear socks, mariza wearing the wrong shoes - what kind of chaos is going on here on the BBB? Who knew we had such blatant rule breakers? :hysterical:

[dogmom]

J Baxter, cute photo.

I wonder if this is a regional thing. I've never lived anywhere with a no hair dye rule in schools, so it does seem really odd to me. But maybe for small town Texas it's common. I'm pretty sure the Supreme Court has ruled dress codes are Constitutional. I don't think that makes this one fair though.


Are you telling me all those Texan cheer leaders are naturally blond?

[SnuggleBuggles]

I admit, when my 11 and 13 yo niece and nephew got off the plane for a visit and they had green hair (nephew) and black with hot pink (niece), I cringed. I might feel differently when my kids are that age but I think it's too young for extreme things like that. However, the girl that this post is regarding? Non issue.

Beth

[MelissaTC]

I think the whole thing is absurd. I was expecting to see something truly distracting or "off the wall". I saw a news story about a girl that had a bunch of different colors in her hair and it stood up, so she was very distracting. I am going to see if I can find a link to her picture.

ETA- Here is the link- http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13918788

In any case, I don't care what kids do to their hair. Shouldn't they, meaning the educators, be more focused on learning? Maybe they should keep a watchful eye on the troublemakers, the kids who come in dirty and hungry, the ones with the bruises, etc... It is just hair people!

[kijip]

On a very basic level, I just don't understand why a school would have a rule about hair color. FTR, I have never dyed my hair a different color other than a 6 month college period with very natural looking highlights. But my brother did, big time. Pink, purple, green, orange, black etc. And if his school had made an issue of it, it would have just turned him more off school. As it was, it took a lot of my time and his teacher's time to get him to a point where he could graduate and pass the state exams. I am glad that they focused on his success regardless of his unorthodox appearance (hair, piercings, his gender stuff, his ridiculous clothing), rather than arguing with him about a non-issue like his hair. Frankly, I think had they made a super big deal about it, he might have dropped out. Most kids in this country are not ready for college when they graduate, many drop out. The schools need to put their time and efforts into things that actually matter, like making sure graduates can read and write and figure at a 12th grade level when they leave school.

Rules like this just add another reason I am glad to be a homeschooler.

[WolfpackMom]

I think the whole thing is absurd. I was expecting to see something truly distracting or "off the wall". I saw a news story about a girl that had a bunch of different colors in her hair and it stood up, so she was very distracting. I am going to see if I can find a link to her picture.

ETA- Here is the link- http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13918788

In any case, I don't care what kids do to their hair. Shouldn't they, meaning the educators, be more focused on learning? Maybe they should keep a watchful eye on the troublemakers, the kids who come in dirty and hungry, the ones with the bruises, etc... It is just hair people!

I was thinking of this article too! I can see how this would be distracting, the one OP is talking about, this, not so much, Anyways, I would think these things might be distracting for like a day, and then move on people - carrying it out with all the fuss is what makes it a distraction. While I personally wouldnt be thrilled to have my daughter do this, I did dye my hair a plum/red color when I was in 8th grade...the wash out kind that I bought myself though, no way my mom was forking out money for me to go get highlights.

[Melaine]

I think it's pretty simple. If the handbooks says not to, then nobody should be allowed to. I didn't think her hair was flamboyant but the next kid might color his hair purple. If they dont' treat all the kids the same, it's not fair to anyone. And eventually the handbooks won't mean anything.

I totally agree with what the school did. But then, I got detention for not wearing socks at my high school. It was pretty strict.

:yeahthat: I agree with this, but the article confused me. They mentioned distraction and the handbook but never said what the specific rule was. If no hair color was allowed then she should have been suspended. If the rules allowed more "grey" area, like bright colors were a no-no but summer highlights were allowed, then I think they went overboard. I'm unclear from the article if haircolor is banned altogether.

I think it's really important for children to learn to follow the rules. One of my pet peeves is seeing parents allow their children to break rules. It happens ALL. THE. TIME. and it drives me nuts.
At the mall play place, kids who are way too tall based on the posted height limits are running around like crazy. I'm talking 8 and 9 year olds. Meanwhile, I know that in a few months I will have to tell my tall four year olds that they have to stop playing, which is absurd as they are the calmest most sedate children who are intimidated by the rowdy two year olds around them.

At the YMCA, the rule is that food is to be eaten at the tables on the tile floor, and NOT carried around the carpeted area or into the play place. Almost every day, I see parents chasing their toddlers around with food all over the place or giving them candy and letting them take it into the playground. Meanwhile, my kids are sitting at the table calmly eating because I'm the hard-ass mommy who follows the rules.

Inside the playplace, there will be several kids climbing up the slide. They have to take off their socks to do this. My kids beg to take off their socks so they can climb up the slide, but the sign clearly says, "SOCKS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES". So, my kids have to watch all these older children playing on the slide while they are stuck in their dumb socks.

These are just three of many examples I notice every day of parents teaching their children that they are above the rules or somehow exceptions to the standards others are following. Years ago, you might see one child breaking the rules. Now, however, I feel that my children are an exception to the rules as often they are the only ones following them.

Can you tell this bothers me? All that to say, I applaud the school for enforcing the rules. Maybe the mom didn't know them, and I don't think the highlights themselves were a bad parenting choice (I wouldn't let my kid do it at that age though) but I do think that the rules should BE FOLLOWED.

[o_mom]

:yeahthat: I agree with this, but the article confused me. They mentioned distraction and the handbook but never said what the specific rule was. If no hair color was allowed then she should have been suspended. If the rules allowed more "grey" area, like bright colors were a no-no but summer highlights were allowed, then I think they went overboard. I'm unclear from the article if haircolor is banned altogether.



From what I found on their district website, it was that "inappropriate" colors were banned, not all hair coloring, and the examples given were orange and green. When I looked at the picture, the red was very close to a natural red, maybe a touch brighter, but not in the 'clearly unnatural' category, IMO. If she had been a redhead that dyed blonde streaks, I think the effect would have been similar.

[Melaine]

From what I found on their district website, it was that "inappropriate" colors were banned, not all hair coloring, and the examples given were orange and green. When I looked at the picture, the red was very close to a natural red, maybe a touch brighter, but not in the 'clearly unnatural' category, IMO. If she had been a redhead that dyed blonde streaks, I think the effect would have been similar.

Ok, then I think the suspension was overboard for sure. I don't think that her hair could have been perceived as "inappropriate" (although how arbitrary is that term?) in any way. So if I were the mom I would have been mad about it, for sure.

I still wish the rest of the world would start following the rules though, as stated in my above rant. :p

[TwinFoxes]

Are you telling me all those Texan cheer leaders are naturally blond?

Wait, they're not??? ;)

[JBaxter]

Wait, they're not??? ;)

They are genetically engineered form birth

[JoyNChrist]

I can absolutely see something like this happening in my small town.

I think it's ridiculous, especially given that the girls' haircolor wasn't drastic or crazy. I think this is one of the reasons so many kids hate school...focusing on non-issues like this instead of things that are really important. I think this is where kids start seeing teachers and administrators as working against them instead of working with them.

[ellies mom]

From what I found on their district website, it was that "inappropriate" colors were banned, not all hair coloring, and the examples given were orange and green. When I looked at the picture, the red was very close to a natural red, maybe a touch brighter, but not in the 'clearly unnatural' category, IMO. If she had been a redhead that dyed blonde streaks, I think the effect would have been similar.

Further in the dress code, it repeats the phrase "inappropriate colors" and includes red. But, that is not an inappropriate shade of red.

Reading their dress code, I'd probably home school my child too because I think there should be room for at least a little bit of personality in a dress code. And that one clear goes over the top.

[MissyAg94]

I think it's pretty simple. If the handbooks says not to, then nobody should be allowed to. I didn't think her hair was flamboyant but the next kid might color his hair purple. If they dont' treat all the kids the same, it's not fair to anyone. And eventually the handbooks won't mean anything.
:yeahthat:

[Fairy]

I think that if there is a rule that there's no unnatural hair color, then those are the rules. What I don't understand is why they're bothering. There are so many problems to deal with. I suppose gang areas can be very tricky. So, it's not a simple answer. I don't know if this is really a gang area or not. But overall, as a concept, if that's the rule, then I guess that's the rule. But why make hair a focus? I think it's a waste of energy.

[AnnieW625]

I think it's pretty simple. If the handbooks says not to, then nobody should be allowed to. I didn't think her hair was flamboyant but the next kid might color his hair purple. If they dont' treat all the kids the same, it's not fair to anyone. And eventually the handbooks won't mean anything.

I totally agree with what the school did. But then, I got detention for not wearing socks at my high school. It was pretty strict.

I agree with this statement. I haven't read any of the other posts since it was posted last night. I also think there is a big difference between a 6th grader at a traditional k-6 elementary school vs. a 6th grader at a middle school. I might be more lenient if it is at a middle school, but at elementary school there is still a fine line (unless it's Halloween).

[Melbel]

Although the picture in the link looked pretty tame to me, I question whether it looked much brighter IRL (especially considering the mom's comment that it came out brighter than expected). If the color was accurately pictured, I think the policy was overly strict. Nonetheless, if the rule is in place, parents/students are obligated to follow the rules and perhaps lobby for a change in the rules if they disagree. Overall, I am more supportive of these kinds of rules in a private school setting and get frustrated when others refuse to follow the rules. For example, at DS's school, there is a strict rule re. hair length which we follow. There are certain blatant repeat offenders who require teachers/administrators to waste their time enforcing a well known policy.