Posted on 02/27/2008 4:56:15 AM PST by E Rocc
PARMA, Ohio -- A kindergarten student with a freshly spiked Mohawk haircut has been suspended by school authorities who said the hair was a distraction for other students.
Michelle Barile, the mother of 6-year-old Bryan Ruda, said nothing in the Parma Community School handbook prohibits the haircut, characterized by closely shaved sides with a strip of prominent hair on top.
"I understand they have a dress code. I understand he has a uniform. But this is total discrimination," she said. "They can't tell me how I can cut his hair."
An administrator at the suburban Cleveland charter school first warned Barile last fall that the haircut wasn't acceptable. The school later sent another warning to her reiterating the ban.
Mohawks violate the school's policy on being properly groomed, school Principal Linda Geyer said. Also, the school district's dress code doesn't mention Mohawks, but it does allow school officials to forbid anything that interferes with the conduct of education.
Ruda's hair became a disruption on Thursday when Ruda arrived freshly shorn, Geyer said. Administrators called Barile on Friday telling her to pick Ruda up from school.
"This was his third infraction," Geyer said Tuesday. "We felt that we were being extremely patient."
Rather than request a hearing to appeal the suspension, Barile said she'll enroll him at another school. Changing the hairstyle is not an option, she said.
"It's something that he really likes," Barile said. "When people hear Mohawk, they think it's long, it's spiked, it's crazy looking, and it's really not."
“I understand they have a dress code. I understand he has a uniform. But this is total discrimination,” she said. “They can’t tell me how I can cut his hair.”
Yes they can...for the same reasons there are uniforms and dress codes, genius.
I’ll put money on it that the school’s dress code doesn’t even address haircuts. (yet)
“It’s something that he really likes,” Barile said”
Oh, well that makes it okay then. lol
You’re probably right.
The mother thinks she has problems now. Madam, never mind what’s on his head, worry about what they’re putting in it.
Put him in a dress; they’ll not only reinsate him, they’ll build a bathroom for him as well...
“Mohawks violate the school’s policy on being properly groomed”
Skin on either side of the head is probably better (for health reasons) than the long shaggy hair emo kids and punks like to wear.
I just read this on cleveland.com, but what’s a 6 year old doing with a mohawk?
So, why is this a story?
Seems like the problem has been solved.
Sounds like another kid in serious need of a two-parent family.
Sounds like the kid has simply gotten the sides of his head shaved. Done properly, it is even considered a proper military haircut.
Well, apparently they can...
This mother's response is typical of problems schools encounter. No matter what the situation, the parents always assume that their PLS (Precious Little Snowflake) cannot be the problem, and the fault must lie with the school. They will then gleefully undercut the school's authority by telling the PLS that he is absolutely right, and there is no reason to follow the school's rules.
Rather than request a hearing to appeal the suspension, Barile said she'll enroll him at another school. Changing the hairstyle is not an option, she said... "It's something that he really likes," Barile said.
I would wager the school is not the least bit upset with the way things turned out. This parent is just looking for trouble, and is using her young son to find it. I feel for the PLS when he has to come into a new school mid-year with this ridiculous hair-cut. The kids are going to be calling him "Geronimo" for the next 13 years.
What a silly, stupid woman.
Wonder what dad thinks of it.
Or where dad is.
One more reason why mandatory kindergarten is necessary < /s>
Clearly the mother is using the kid to be rebellious by proxy. I wonder what the first two violations were?
>>”They can’t tell me how I can cut his hair.”<<
I’ll bet his daddy gave him his first mohawk.
What makes you think there is a Mr. Ruda involved in all this. Momma might have picked that name because she thought it sounded cool.
“what’s a 6 year old doing with a mohawk?”
Learning to speak iroquoi?
I don’t understand, she was just teaching her child to rebel. That he doesn’t have to follow rules. Geeze, what’s wrong with that. /sarc
I’d have to agree with mom here. Although the school has a requirement for good grooming, grooming really describes the attention to neatness. If the boy’s mohawk was tidy, then he didn’t fall short of good grooming. It seems like the principal wants to include tastefulness and stylishness into her definition of grooming.
And the mother said it “really wasn’t”.
Sorry, but I tend to side with the individual first in these cases.
If she proves to be in the wrong later, I’ll gladly take back my position.
I had friends in high school with mohawks, and I teach high school now.
Mohawks do not bother me as much as nose rings and visible tattoos. On teachers and students alike.
It is a haircut.
That haircut looks more like a mullet which is the number one sign you’re a knuckle dragging lowlife. All the kid has to do now is get a tattoo, and he’ll be well on his way to a lifetime at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. The school made a wise decision to get rid of this kid and his mother (who probably has a two foot beehive).
Parma? White socks! Turn blue kid!
When children who are in public schools belong to the state, as the courts have ruled, then yes, they CAN tell you how to cut his hair. Thank your ever-expanding imperial government for that.
Don't know if mom "spiked" his hair with gel before school or not.
Plenty of soldiers I know wear those things.
If it’s within the regulation for the Army, why would the school complain?... oh... I think I just answered my question....
I wouldn’t have a problem with the haircut in the photo.
Only for a short while. Then, it’s on the the chick with the pierced nipples.
Just another example of the man keepin’ a little kid down!
It's not the hair that makes a punk a punk.
It's the little idiot that lives inside the dome.
Heh, only if the mohawk walked in first! Otherwise, he’d be a non-story.
Distractions to the learning environment ARE within the realm of regulation. Long hair, in-and-of itself is generally not about trying to get attention. A spiked mohawk IS ALWAYS about getting attention.
And by the parent’s response, I strongly suspect that the parent knew there would be a problem and chose to push the issue to get attention for themselves in the first place.
This coming from a 14 year veteran in the classroom.
That kid you’re showing needs a pop in the mouth.
Scratch glass, climb walls and do it while you can but don’t get caught.
On another thought Ghoulardi, this is a charter school. They can set the standards and do.
See...
“An administrator at the suburban Cleveland charter school first warned Barile last fall that the haircut wasn’t acceptable”
She should feel blessed that her kid is in a charter and not in Cleveland Public. My nephews go to a charter on Puritas. Best school in the world.
This child's situation is the opposite - he is not being told to modify a universally popular hairstyle, but a gimmick hairstyle that was barely ever in fashion and crested in popularity a quarter-century before he was born.
The mother is a headcase, and she's messing with her kid's mind.
Exactly! It seems the public schools want to take out individuality at an early age.
And then there are exceptions... if you are gay or trans-gender -- that is perfectly acceptable and must be celebrated. If you are conservative and Christian -- you must be a hateful person with a closed mind...
And with the schools worrying about nonsense like this, is it any wonder why our little pupils are falling behind the world?
Amen. We sit and bitch and moan about public schools, then side with the little darlings at every turn.
My daughter gave my 2 yr old grandson a similar haircut & I was so upset. I said why on earth would you do that to him?....IMHO my daughter was just being her usual different self but to carry it on to the baby I wasn’t pleased. However he did look cute for the short time he had it. Seems his daddy wasn’t happy with it & he went & got his head shaved. Personally I think public schools have more to worry about then haircuts.
We have GOT to get over silly things like kids’ hair styles.
What a waste of time.
While I agree with your assessment of the mom, I gotta say that hippy hair and afros and even shaved heads all are about “attention”.
It’s also possible the kid saw it and said “COOL! MOM I WANT ONE!” and the mom found no reason to stop it. An finding a public school to be out of line on it’s control isn’t exactly at odds with a lot of people on this forum.
Looking at the pic, he’s got a conservative (socially) haircut. It just happens to be a conservative mohawk.
You crazy, whacked-out liberal! /s
It’s actually pretty common here in West Michigan. And W. MI is quite conservative.
It’s just a hair style.
Tell the kid to wear a hat at school. There, fixed it.
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