This is just stupid

[withonor]

Like it or not, thats the way much of the country is.

There is a legitimate argument that a boy having long hair is a distraction, simply because it is not the norm.

I don't agree with it, but there you have it.

We've come a long way in the last 60 years. That's not all that long for so much social change. We'll keep at it as a nation, and maybe by the time you decide to have kids whenever that may be, they won't have to cut their hair short. There already are plenty of school districts that allow boys to have long hair, facial hair, and even crossdress.

Kids don't know what "normal" is.

Like it or not, "the way" isn't a good enough reason for me.

Just to be clear, the rest of this isn't directed at you.

This is about adults forcing their children to think a certain way instead of learning, emphasis on learning-the key ingredient to a solid education, on their own when presented with a plethora of ideas. Unfortunately most parents want their children to be just like mommy and daddy.

America is supposed to be a "melting pot" of cultures, religions, ideas, backgrounds, ethnicities, etc... So having these silly little rules to try and maintain normality is ridiculous.

There must not be any children at that school from a culture that wears turbans because that child might be faced with removing it and having to get a hair cut to fit in or face expulsion. How absurd would that be.

Ok, I'll give it one more go.

You do realize that this isn't about that kid and his hair, right? His hair is not the issue, it's the rule having that hair breaks that is the real issue.

It's breaking a rule that the parents agreed to abide by that is the issue, not the reason for the rule. The reason for the rule is not relevant to this. If you want to change the rule, that also is not relevant to this.

The only issue here is that the parents are using their child to flaunt a rule, dumb though it may be, that they agreed to uphold when the put their child in that school.

The school is perfectly within it's rights and should take actions to bring them in line with the guidelines they have set out.

Make an exception for him and his hair and what's next?

You know there will be a next if an exception is made for him, right?

Who wrote the rule? Maybe it was applicable 5, 10, or 20 years ago but is it applicable now? The reason for the rule and wanting to change the rule are completely relevant to this.

Remember that rule that African Americans had to sit in the back of the bus and give up their seats to white people as needed? Then one day Rosa Parks found a courage beyond commendation and "disobeyed".

I think both instances, the kid with a hairstyle and a woman on a bus, are equivalent though history may not represent it that way. In both cases a group was enforcing their beliefs on unwilling participants and someone stood up for what they believed in against the will of the masses.

Wearing a uniform is one thing but having any say in the physical features of a child or person is completely different.

If an exception was made for the child, who is the responsibility of his parents for the first 18 years of his life and at that age doesn't understand the gravity of the situation, and is allowed to go to school without missing a day or suffering any other adverse effects from the situation, nothing would happen. Now that he's been out of school for a month or more and away from the friends that he misses, he is suffering and will most likely have long term pscychological effects. I can't say good or bad because who knows, maybe he'll turn out to be the politician who gets gay marriage passed on the federal level since he's being persecuted for so long as a child. But obviously the child isn't important here......................

What is a rule about hairstyles like? Maybe red or brown hair is distracting, so children should have to bleach it. Black or blue or green eyes are distracting so make sure they have blue contacts before the first day of school. If your skin is too tan or dark, find some make up or paint. Now that everybody matches (Yay!) there will be no distractions in class. Wait, didn't somebody try that....?