Posted on 04/29/2010 8:53:26 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
A Walzem Elementary School kindergartener was suspended this week because of a swirl design cut into his closely cropped hair. Five-year-old Tyran Miller was getting out of his mom's car Monday morning when Principal Laura Huggins noticed the design.
“As soon as she saw his head, she said it was something she couldn't allow and that it was not conventional,” said Tyran's mother, Crystal Gray.
Gray was given the option of shaving Tyran's head or keeping him home until his hair grew out. If she sent him to school, she was told, he'd be in in-school suspension until the symbol was gone.
Gray opted for in-school suspension because she didn't want Tyran to stockpile absences, but she's worried because he's missing crucial time in his dual language classroom. He also missed a class field trip to the San Antonio Zoo on Tuesday.
“I was supposed to be a chaperone, so we were both looking forward to it,” she said.
North East Independent School District policy doesn't specifically address hairstyles for elementary students other than to say parents are strongly urged to enforce moderate hairstyles and high standards of dress. It also says: “While it is inevitable that there will be differences of opinion as to the appropriateness of dress and grooming, the final determination will be in the judgment of the building principal.”
Under additional information for middle and high school students, the dress code says: “Unconventional hairstyles (multicolored, spiked, Mohawk, etc.) that are considered to be distracting and/or disruptive to the educational environment are prohibited.”
Huggins said unusual hairstyles have been popping up more frequently in the past few weeks, and school administration has been cracking down. Students have been reprimanded for sporting Mohawks and “faux hawks” — when kids use gel or spray to make their hair stand up — as well as hair designs and unconventional colors. She said even though Tyran is a 5-year-old, she believes she has to enforce the rules uniformly.
“We've had the same situation with other students and have already set a precedent,” she said. “We're concerned about being fair and consistent.”
Gray said she and Tyran's father would never have had the design put in his hair if they had known it was against the rules. School administration told Gray on Monday that they had been considering specifically banning hair designs, but hadn't put anything in writing yet. A letter dated Monday came home with Tyran on Wednesday with specific examples of hairstyles considered distracting or disruptive, including designs cut into the hair.
Deb Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the school district, stressed that the principal can make the call on what constitutes “unconventional.”
“I understand the letter had not gone home but the letter was just reinforcing a policy that already existed,” Caldwell said. “It was just letting parents know how the school would go forward with enforcing the district policy.”
Caldwell said that, while she doesn't believe this is the case in Tyran's situation, symbols in the hair at the middle and high school level have been tied to gang affiliation, which is why some principals have been banning them.
~snip~
In contrast, Gray said she doesn't want to fight so Tyran can keep his design. She'll be happy when it grows out — she's hoping by this weekend — so he can return to his classmates. She just wishes the rules would've been communicated more clearly.
“I'm very comfortable with rules, but how can I comply with rules that haven't been created?” she asked. “What I really don't like is him being punished for something we did, breaking a rule we didn't know existed.”
When I was a kid, all my schools had a dress and appearance code. Obedience to it showed respect for authority that the students would need in the workplace. I don’t see anything wrong with this restriction.
The principal overreacted, but mom's a pretty big idiot.
Hehehe...
I didn’t say it was a Constitutional issue... just that the kid should learn to read so he can read the Constitution... that was my only point.
That looks like some of those stupid looking letter/symbols that you see in gang graffetti where brain-dead yoots mark "their" turf.
I'll take the school's side on this.
>>just that the kid should learn to read so he can read the Constitution... that was my only point.<<
Ah. Sorry if I over-interpreted... :)
But not spelling? ;)
No prob, I wasn’t very clear.
If not a gang symbol who cares? It is neat and not particularly standing out. Home schooling certainly has its benefits. But one should not need to home school over such piddling differences.
You must be either a kid, or you are NOT a parent.
The kid looks like a dangerous gang member. Maybe he should join a Tea Party.
LOL. Some years back a colleague of mine visited a company in California (name withheld) on a business trip. Upon his return, he observed that as best he could tell the only thing their dress code prohibited was exposed genitalia. He said the visit was “interesting”.
that symbol means something. Does anyone recognize it? I didn’t see the answer in the article (big surprize - bad journalism)
That symbol has some kind of significance. I’m not sure what it is, but the parents wouldn’t just tell the barber to throw some random shape on the kid’s head. Maybe they’re just big “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince” fans? How would you go about finding out exactly what that symbol represents?
Glue a merkin to his head and send him back to school.
If school had not yet put out something in writing, the the school is at fault.
They should have just told the parents: “Don’t do that again” and allowed him to keep coming to class.
It’s not that “distracting” and the kid is 5.
*facepalm*
Alright...for those of you who have no clue let me explain a few things. Black kids have been getting this done for a long time, it is VERY VERY VERY common. The biggest issue here is that the principle had a problem with it. When I was little I used to ask the barber to cut a few straight lines over my right temple (ah the 80’s). I went to a mostly white school and no one had a problem with it.
Now if the school changed their policy that’s a differnet matter but I would consider the matter BY FAR common enough that a person should be ok to assume it’s ok to do it.
I have absolutely no problem with the style. It’s actually very cool. I see it all the time.
I just want to be sure there’s no secret or inappropriate message being relayed in that symbol.
But whether or not it has any sublime meaning, I support the school’s right to restrict any display of symbolism on campus. Even a Raiders shirt has a gang turf overtone here in L.A. and school officials are 100% correct to forbid it.
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