Kerens is a small Texas town in Navarro County of about 1700 people. But while much of Texas has moved into the 21st century, it seems like the school board in this town is still trying to fight the battles of the 1970's.
While most school districts are trying to figure out how to improve test scores, grades and graduation rates for their students, the Kerens school board is more interested in hair styles. They have an archaic rule that male students cannot wear their hair past their shirt collar, lower than their eyebrows or more than a half-inch over their ears.
Right before the Christmas break, four students were warned not to come back to school with long hair. They were told that if they did, they would face being sent to an alternative school (created for students with discipline problems). They also face suspension from extracurricular activities and the possibility of not being able to graduate.
When the students returned to school, they were suspended. One of the students had got his hair cut above his collar in an effort to co-operate with the school's silly rule. However, they said it was more than a half-inch over his ears and suspended him anyway.
The students have now been told they have three days to cut their hair or be assigned to the alternative school.
The student pictured above, Matthew Lopez-Widish, says he will not cut his hair. There is no reason why he should be forced to do so. He is an "A" student. Why would the school interfere with the education of one of their better students academically?
The school has the right to ask a student to attend regularly, be on time, not pose a discipline problem and put forth their best effort in their classes. That is all they have the right to demand. These are not slaves -- they are independent human beings trying to get an education. Just because they are under 21 does not mean they have to give up their right to be different.
Matthew has put forth an effort to get a good education, and now the school wants to deny him that opportunity. He says he does not want to attend the alternative school, and is considering transferring to another school district.
I cannot believe they would kick out an "A" student for such a ridiculous reason. They should be ashamed. They are there to educate students -- not to force them into any fashion or cultural trend.
Crazy but true. So much time was spent on dress code checks that we lost precious time teaching.I was always getting in trouble for not checking if students had belts, shirts tucked in,correct color pants,dyed hair, more than one earring in each ear,rosaries around their necks,five star pendants around their necks,sagging pants,rolled up pant legs,rolled up shirts sleeves. the list goes on. The worse thing is that other teachers were the ones who reported me. My standard answer when the dress code police came into the room was" I'm
ReplyDeleteteaching here and my students are learning. Don't bother us.I retired last year. I miss teaching.
I miss my students. I miss my subject. I don't miss all the rest of the B. S. My last act of defiance was refusing to say the new Texas Pledge. We always said the old one till the last day I was there. The Irony was that no one cared or maybe even knew. They were too busy conducting dress code
checks.
This happened here in Bastrop County in the 90s. I'm so tired of the archaic rules and bylaws in so many districts. The old "because I said so and I'm in charge" philosophy should be banished. I don't know how they even get away with this - but then, schools are able to exert authority and trample kids rights in ways which boggle the mind. Kudos to the teacher who posted earlier - I wish there were more of you in our systems.
ReplyDeleteThe school needs to consider what message this sends to kids. It says no matter how smart you are if you do not look the way WE want you do not deserve an education.
ReplyDelete