Ohio school suspends boy over Mohawk

If the school has a policy on being well groomed then they need to clairfy the standards on what well groomed means. Perhaps it was clarified and the parents ignored it. That being said, the school gave ample notices to the parents saying this was not acceptable. It is my opinion the school was not giving a kneejerk reaction and were well within their right to do what they did. The parents decided to make a point about this and used their child as the center piece. I feel this is unacceptable on the parents part. It is a pity the parents can not lead by example and show their children that the rules are there not to inconvenience them but to set a standard for all to follow.
 
Policies are merely policies decided on at whim by whoever feels that they have the right. If the Law of the land states that a person is of an age where they must attend school, It is then up to the school to consult the Government on the matter.

Yep, I agree,.... the parents are probably "show ponies", but they are abiding by the law of the land, and that overrules local policy.

Maybe it is an anarchist streak in me, but every now and again I like to see people push the boundaries a little, it's all that keeps some of these petty rule makers in their place.

Never Forget,... "If you are not aware of your rights, you may as well not have any, and the way to make yourself aware of them is to exercise them".
 
senojekips said:
Policies are merely policies decided on at whim by whoever feels that they have the right. If the Law of the land states that a person is of an age where they must attend school, It is then up to the school to consult the Government on the matter.

Yep, I agree,.... the parents are probably "show ponies", but they are abiding by the law of the land, and that overrules local policy.

Maybe it is an anarchist streak in me, but every now and again I like to see people push the boundaries a little, it's all that keeps some of these petty rule makers in their place.

Never Forget,... "If you are not aware of your rights, you may as well not have any, and the way to make yourself aware of them is to exercise them".
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By all means, exercise your rights. But when you see rules put in place that provide for the common good then why try to "express yourself" to such an extent that it spirals out of control (National Media??!!).

As for discrimination: There was no discrimination here as far as I can tell and as far as the law goes. Policy is decided on, generally, by moer than one person. I would like to see their grooming standards book/write up. If the standards are pretty clear cut then the parents have only themselves to blame.
 
Marinerhodes said:
By all means, exercise your rights. But when you see rules put in place that provide for the common good then why try to "express yourself" to such an extent that it spirals out of control (National Media??!!).

As for discrimination: There was no discrimination here as far as I can tell and as far as the law goes. Policy is decided on, generally, by moer than one person. I would like to see their grooming standards book/write up. If the standards are pretty clear cut then the parents have only themselves to blame.
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I have no argument there, but never the less I feel that Schools should not have the right to suspend a student who has not broken any law. If "grooming" were that important, there would be laws in place to ensure that this was adhered to.

It's just that the law says you must attend, therefore it is not a matter between the shool and the parents, unless the child is absent for no good reason. I don't consider a "haircut", no matter how radical as a justifiable reason that a child should be refused an education which is in fact what they are attempting to do.

As I stated earlier, "If the school would have ignored the issue in the first place, it would no longer be an issue" whereas now it has become an ongoing saga that will probably end up in the courts.
 
Marinerhodes said:
If the school has a policy on being well groomed then they need to clairfy the standards on what well groomed means. Perhaps it was clarified and the parents ignored it. That being said, the school gave ample notices to the parents saying this was not acceptable. It is my opinion the school was not giving a kneejerk reaction and were well within their right to do what they did. The parents decided to make a point about this and used their child as the center piece. I feel this is unacceptable on the parents part. It is a pity the parents can not lead by example and show their children that the rules are there not to inconvenience them but to set a standard for all to follow.
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I agree with Rhodes.
 
On reflection I see this as largely a cultural difference.

Here in Australia we have an old, and "not so bad" attitude of reluctance to willingly submit to petty authority. We believe in making the b@stards work for their money, and never just "rolling over" for them. Last but not least "Always side with the underdog", nine times out of ten you'll have the moral high ground and even if you don't, you will have put some mini Hitler in his place for a while.

Anyway, who wants to grow up just known for being "well groomed". Chr!st,.... real life is not like the military, we need to get out of our comfort zones and "Live" a little. There'll be plenty of time to be well groomed when your dead,.... the undertaker will run a comb through your hair before he screws down the lid.
 
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Every institution has their own culture.
Most schools have a dress code so it doesn't seem beyond me that there would be a grooming code as well. But it needs to be specified properly.
I say let the guy have a mohawk. He'll probably feel stupid about it later on. Or might shave himself bald after the 500th time he's heard the same joke.
 
I can't believe they think it's distracting, jeez. How are they trying to prepare these kids for the real world and for Intermediate grades and high school. You see it all and if you hide it from them now, it'll just bite them when they're older. Let the kid have his Mohawk. He's in frigging kindergarten, and if the kids want to experiment at this age, say with their hair, let them! Better they realise something, for example, is just retarded at kindergarten rather when they're 14 and then they make a fool of themselves.
 
hey, if the kid like's the mohawk, let him keep it and let everyone get on with their lives. i mean come on, it's just a haircut.
 
Yeah. Get on with life. If anything, the teacher should wring the other kids out for not paying attention in class.
 
Oh yeah, and my cousin who had the mohawk lived in Ohio back then. Forget which town exactly, but it was pretty close to the PA border.
 
The Other Guy said:
that's all grand if the parents aren't idiots...
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Couldn't have said it better myself. (Though I prolly would have stuck in "redneck" before idiots). ;)


P.S. What happened to parents teaching their children their manners, sharing, and starting to mold them into nice young men and women.... Why does it always have to be, "BE YOURSELF, be a rebel, don't care what anyone thinks of you, just do what you want!" If everyone was a rebel this world would suck. (It is getting there).
 
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