jnelsoninjax Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 MESQUITE, Texas -- The parents of a floppy-haired pre-kindergartner whose 'do landed him in in-school suspension rejected the school board's suggestion of a braid. The Mesquite Independent School District, in Mesquite, Texas decided Monday to allow Taylor Pugh to upbraid his hair, putting it into a tight braid against his head that doesn't turn into a ponytail. The board met in closed executive session Monday night to hear an appeal from the boy's mother. Elizabeth Taylor says she wants her son, nicknamed "Tator Tot," back in regular class with his friends. But Tator Tot's parents said the upbraid idea is a no-go because the hairstyle gives the 4-year-old a headache. "Our founding fathers, the same people that signed his constitutional rights, have hair longer than his. C'mon!" said Delton Pugh Jr., the boy's father. Tator Tot has been alone in the library with a teacher's aide since late November because his long hair violates the district's grooming policy. "Why can't he decide how long his hair is?" Taylor said. "If it has nothing to do with his education, why does he have to cut it?" Tator Tot's parents say their son likes his hair long and is growing it to donate to an aunt who is fighting cancer. "He (doesn't) understand what Locks of Love is," Pugh said. "He wants to give hair to his aunt. Locks of Love is the way for him to do that." Pugh told the Dallas Morning News last month that he would move out of the district before he would force his son to cut his hair. He told the newspaper that his son "loves his hair." Taylor said she offered to put her son's hair in a pony tail and slick back the front, but school officials insisted the boy's hair be cut. His parents said Monday that they will take him to school with his hair in a ponytail held by a clip, and Tator Tot will continue his lessons while serving in-school suspension. But they said the hairy ordeal isn't hurting Tator Tot's performance at school. "He misses his friends and wants to go play. He still makes 'As' and 'Bs' just like before," Pugh said. The Mesquite ISD's dress code has been enforcing hair length since at least the 1970s, when the district sent home a 10-year-old boy because his hair touched his collar. And the parents of a Mesquite middle school student are homeschooling their son after he ran into trouble over trendy skinny pants. Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueMonolith Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 This is the same board that is considering teaching creationism in science classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted January 13, 2010 Member Share Posted January 13, 2010 School systems teach conformity and not individuality. If you fail to conform you get punished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCordRm Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 America.... land of acceptance. My Ass. Denying this kid a classroom seat because they don't like his hair??? Some days it sucks to be fighting for folks like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qdave Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I was unliked for my long hear in school as well..and it even wasnt that long :p Such things are unaceptable and damaging for kids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panacik Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Urm, this may be extream, but wouldnt this pretty much go hand in hand with, "your black, which does not conform to our standards", which obviously would not be aloud... Sounds like utter crap on the boards side. I feel sorry for the parents and for the boy that is being singled out for no good reason at such a young age. I hope he doesnt grow up learning to hate and fear teachers because of this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelticWhisper Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Urm, this may be extream, but wouldnt this pretty much go hand in hand with, "your black, which does not conform to our standards", which obviously would not be aloud...Sounds like utter crap on the boards side. I feel sorry for the parents and for the boy that is being singled out for no good reason at such a young age. I hope he doesnt grow up learning to hate and fear teachers because of this! Agreed. Someone on the school board deserves to lose their job over this. If it were my kid, I'd sue, and make sure to sue for more than the school's insurance will cover. I don't even care about getting the money myself - it can all be punitive damages aside from just my court costs and wage equivalent for the days I miss work. I hope this school district gets curb-stomped in court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argi Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 At my [albiet private] school, boys couldn't have long hair. If you didn't get it cut in a reasonable time after a warning, the school marshal would take you down the street to the community barber which was pretty good incentive to get it cut yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicdisastr Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 It's lovely that the only reason my school district is in the news is for something ridiculous. I hate this policy. I've been in ISS for my hair being too long, it's stupid to be punished the same way someone fighting, or doing something worse just because my hair is "too long". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrizzMan Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 At my [albiet private] school, boys couldn't have long hair. If you didn't get it cut in a reasonable time after a warning, the school marshal would take you down the street to the community barber which was pretty good incentive to get it cut yourself. I attended private schools as well and there was never any sort of "acceptable hair length" policy. Granted, I have always had short hair, however there were quite a handful of students who chose to keep their hair at longer lengths and there was never any disciplinary action taken because of it. Punishing a student for such a silly reason seems a bit drastic, in my opinion. If the boy chooses to maintain such an appearance, that is his decision; the school board should have absolutely no say in an individual's personal tastes. I swear, some schools believe that they are so "holier-than-thou". Give me a break. There are more pressing matters to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted January 14, 2010 Member Share Posted January 14, 2010 My school didn't allow long hair and I always pushed them to the limit. I was one of those give 'em hell types anyway and I stayed in trouble over my hair (and nearly everything else). Now that I've moved on into the workforce I keep my hair short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicdisastr Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Also what is really funny about this situation is that students are also not allowed to have facial hair, because it is "unclean and unprofessional", but this past school year they have allowed teachers to have facial hair, which if understand, are working in a professional environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neoauld Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 One of my old jobs they refused to employ anyone with long hair, it was apparently against policy. Seems silly in this day and age that things like that are taken into account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udedenkz Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 W.T.F. ? There is nothing wrong w. long hair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatingFatMan Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 There is a very sound reason for such school policies though. Generally, in a working environment, long hair is often frowned upon as its seen as untidy by the kind of people who tend to run businesses. Take 2 people with identical qualifications. One has long hair, one has short hair. Send them to a job interview in a corporate environment. I bet you the short haired person will get the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panacik Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 At my [albiet private] school, boys couldn't have long hair. If you didn't get it cut in a reasonable time after a warning, the school marshal would take you down the street to the community barber which was pretty good incentive to get it cut yourself. Well i wasnt aloud long or short hair at school, however, they would expell or suspend you etc for it, they would just keep you back an hour extra each day to write lines or something until you sorted it. The thing was though, if you where doing it for charity or the like then they would support you, not like what they are doing with this kid. Instead they are being ignorant twits about the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead.cell Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Only rules for hair with our dress code throughout school were that it couldn't be distracting. This meant gel'd up mohawks (they were okay provided they weren't up) and non-natural hair dyes (pink) could get you in trouble. I suppose shaving symbols into your head were also not allowed, though I don't think they had a problem in high school with this guy shaving his football number. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Wizard Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 There is a similar rule in my school, and if you have it too long (or too short) then you get suspended internally first, although I think if you're in sixth form you get sent home for the day if you don't get your hair cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamawesomewicked Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Ahh the stupidity in Texas... Hair isn't going to stop learning. Get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCordRm Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 No, but if a woman cuts it you lose all your strength. hehe Sorry, as a Texan I realize what a bible-thumping State we can be sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrewJW Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Oh what a bloody joke, when I was in my college doing ICT I used to have long hair, right down to my shoulders, no bugger complained, this is just someone whining to whine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiagosilva29 Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 If a girl can keep her hair, then this boy should be allowed to keep his as well. Fear of lice? Buy shampoo and a colm for every kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasty2k2 Posted January 24, 2010 Share Posted January 24, 2010 This sort of thing really boils my ****. Doesn't matter if "that's the way the world is", the "world" according to those people is wrong. People judge way too quickly. /rant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderermy Posted January 24, 2010 Share Posted January 24, 2010 ah the stupidity of religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnelsoninjax Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 ah the stupidity of religion. Just what does religion have to do with a boy and long hair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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