7th Grader back in class after suspension over haircut

Originally posted by jbondo
I think there's probably more to the story. As it said, this kid had been in trouble before and may have gotten the haircut purposely knowing it would be a problem.

Not saying that's the case but it wouldn't be the first time.

I agree that there is probably more to the story .. it did say he had problems with the principal before.

Regardless of whether he got the haircut intentionally because it would be a problem the principal needs to keep himself removed from the issue. As an adult you would think he would realize it's better NOT to react if you think someone is doing something just to antagonize you and what they're doing is harmless.

Unless they're enforcing this rule evenly across the board to any and every student that has short haircuts then they're "targeting" this one child. It may not be a race thing, he may be targeted because he is a known trouble maker, but it's still not right.

I've known a few "trouble makers" that deserved that title and a few others who were titled trouble makers but often did nothing worse than many of their peers but just seemed to be called on the carpet for it more often. There's no way to tell which side of the spectrum this student fell on.

Personally I didn't see anything wrong or disruptive with the haircut. My nephew has green hair (or sometimes blue) and they've never stopped him from going to class.

im not racist or anything at all, but when I was in 7th grade myself, I got suspended for 10 days for shaving my head. As luck has it, the day I got to school with a shaved head, an ex-friend of mine (we had a falling out over NBA Jam TE) who was Jewish, accused me of being racist, and shaving my head to intimidate him. The principle didn't even want to hear my story, so I was sent home that day.

School's MAIN purpose is to force children into submission. It's laughable that "education" is even related to public schooling, quite the opposite.

i have a friend who let her son get a mohawk, (he's about nine or ten years old) her husband didn't like it at all, but he basically said "hey, it's what he wants", so they decided to let him have it...

what do you think happened in school the next day?...you guessed it...absolutly nothing...

there is nothing wrong with this kid coming to school with a shaved head....i think the principle and or various teachers may have an agenda/grudge of some sort against this kid (theres no way for me to know of course)...but persacuting him due to a haircut like this is definatly not the way to go about the eleviating their frustrations...

Originally posted by scientist
School's MAIN purpose is to force children into submission. It's laughable that "education" is even related to public schooling, quite the opposite.

i really hate to say this scientist, but i agree with you entirely... it apears that the public education systems only real purpose is to enforce submission to authority, and adherance to the "pecking order"...certainly nothing to do with real education...

at least that was my experience with highschool...

id have to see a list of the school rules before i could decide .

I would like to know if the Principal could produce proof that the dress code of that school includes haircuts that are too short. Is it documented? Was this dress code something that was photocopied and given to all parents at the beginning of the school year? I too have had run ins with the teachers and vice principal at my 16 year old daughters high school. I find they sometimes conflict on there dress code,and some teachers are more lenient than others. My daughter is to wear a very short kilt and white blouse.A certain teacher demanded that she always button up the top button on her blouse. He even sent her to the principal over this one button, and threatened to kick her out of class and fail her.He is a teacher well known for singling out students for failure. He got what he wanted too. She was so stressed out in this mans class because he made it so difficult.He failed her. She was greatly upset by this. I even spoke with him and he would not change his mind. This had nothing to do with her work. Now the vice Principal- threatened to send her home from school because she wore "jelly bracelets" to school. He ordered her to remove them, and put them in her locker or leave school property. Even though there were dozens of other girls wearing them that day. This is just crazy. Where do this people get off power tripping like that just because they are "authority figures" in the school. I believe it is an abuse of power. The worst incident was her gym teacher who made her go out side and run around the school track 3 times for chewing gum on a cold raining April day in shorts and tshirt. But that wasn't the worst. The school doors must be opened from the inside as they are locked to keep out unwanted people.The gym teacher locked the door, leaving my daughter outside. She pounded on the door to be let in but was not.A camera above the door recorded it all.Luckily we live only a few minutes walk from the school and she arrived home cold wet and very ticked off.This one instance I called the school and blasted the teacher, and vice principal as he called me to ask why she left school property without permission! Wow did they get an earful.The gym teacher has been nothing but nice since. Now to get back on topic and away from my personal rant, I truly feel sorry for this boy.All this attention over a haircut is outrageous, despite any other instances he may have had with this principal.Someone should possibly investigate the principal to see if he has singled out other students as well or just this boy.This is not appropriate for an adult in his position.

Has anyone thought that the schools rule may have been bought in to stop skinheads forming gangs?

If so, you have to ban black kids having the same haircut or you are guilty of racial discrimination yourself. The kids parents screaming racism is laughable unless they can prove white kids are allowed in school with skinhead cuts.

However its a dumb rule, lets the kids do what they want with their hair unless they shave a swastika in it or some obscene words.

I did not find it in the article, so I will ask: Was it a private or special admittance school?

Schools such as those are usually not federally funded and I know that, if the private school is religious, they will almost always have a dress code which includes hair.

In my school I was suspended more then one for letting my hair get 'too long'.

If it is a public school: If they can legally determine a dress code (I am not sure if they can or not) which includes hair and if this boys hair was outside of that dress code...then he would be punished. He is, if the school is legally entitled to determine a dress code, rightfully punished.

That is only if the school has a dress code which they have the right to impose.

My two cents.

I think this school is public. I did a google search and came up with the school's site Bailey

There is nothing in any of the pages about applying so I am going to assume it is public

Just another example of the public education nightmare. It never ends.

(Edit, instead of a double post)

Bailey Middle School does, in fact, seem to be a public school. The following is a link to the school's website.

www.austin.isd.tenet.edu...

If you go to "About Bailey" and click on "Administration" you will see a picture with Dr. Julia Fletcher listed as principal. It appears to be part of the Austin Independent School District.

This is a copy of the Austin Independent School District revenue budget for the 2006-2007 school year.

www.austinisd.org...

Apparently if you pay taxes to the Austin Independent School District, the state of Texas, or the United States, you are funding a school to discriminate against a person's appearance. This is very disturbing to me. Unfortunately, things like this are far from rare.

[edit on 19-5-2007 by Johnmike]

Originally posted by Johnmike
Apparently if you pay taxes to the Austin Independent School District, the state of Texas, or the United States, you are funding a school to discriminate against a person's appearance. This is very disturbing to me. Unfortunately, things like this are far from rare.

I could not find any extended 'rule book' on the site. Until we know if they have a dress code which includes hair then I do not think that we should be making statements like yours.

If there is the dress code and the child broke it...then punishment would be appropriate (especially if it outlined within the schools rule book).

However, not knowing the status of 'dress code', I can not set my mind on either side of the fence: as I am unaware of all of the facts.

Just trying to you know, deny ignorance.

Originally posted by spines
I could not find any extended 'rule book' on the site. Until we know if they have a dress code which includes hair then I do not think that we should be making statements like yours.

If there is the dress code and the child broke it...then punishment would be appropriate (especially if it outlined within the schools rule book).

However, not knowing the status of 'dress code', I can not set my mind on either side of the fence: as I am unaware of all of the facts.

Just trying to you know, deny ignorance.

I understand where you're coming from, but in the end, none of that matters. Whether or not it was in the "rule book" or "dress code" doesn't change anything. These are rules that I don't support, that I view as oppressive as totalitarian. If this was a private school, then by all means, they can have whatever dress code they want, but the fact is that this is a public school. The sheer existence of a dress code that goes beyond simply disallowing gross indecency and nudity is forcing me to support totalitarian ideals.

[edit on 19-5-2007 by Johnmike]

I would imagine there is alot more to this story than the public is being led to believe.

Originally posted by scientist
School's MAIN purpose is to force children into submission. It's laughable that "education" is even related to public schooling, quite the opposite.

Unfortunately I fear that's all too true.

It was quite a while back, but especially in high school, it felt llike the main purpose of the experience was to get us used to obeying arbitrary edicts issued by our "superiors" far more than anything to do with education.

It's a training ground to teach us to respect authority & pecking orders.

Too long, too short????

Just rediculous if you ask me.

Seems to me there are some personal issues that determine what is right or wrong with regard school dress codes and the related matters.

Teachers can be bullies too!

It's what's inside those heads that really matters, not outside.

Q: what's more "distracting" for a class full of kids, short hair on one of the students, or having one of their classmates under school suspension for that short hair.

Like one of the posters earlier said, these restrictions need to be more clearly defined by the schoolboards. Then again, maybe they would discover just how "Orwellian" these things really are.

Sounds like an ego-trip by a misguided school principle who needs to get a life!

I was once suspended from Smokey Hill High School in Aurora Colorado for having purple laces in my boots. Seriously.
They did an interview with me for Denver's weekly, Creative Loafing and I was on a radio interview.
The school's premise was that different colored shoelaces were the equivalent to racial slurs.
Skinheads would often wear red or white laces to signify their hatred. Mine just happened to be purple.
Since when are teenagers exempt from First amendment protections? I ended transferring out of the school because I refused to change the laces and my mom got frustrated and was forced to compromise to get me back in class

In Austin TX? I'm not surprised. I raised hell when I grew up there. The schools there are seeping with kooky fundamentalist types that find anything they consider awkward in their scope of reason worth of expulsion or in need of discipline. ...But another thing I noticed is that there is a lot of racial tension there too and that was a decade ago.