AIBU to be fuming that DS has been sent home because of his hair???

[brodyblake]

DS had his haircut just before he started secondary school. In the uniform rules, it just saying no "extreme hairstyles" does not give any kind of description as to what those may be. Bugger me, he goes in with a perfect uniform, a nice smart haircut and is told it's a no!!! They have said that he is to be in isolation until it grows to an acceptable length they didn't say what would be classed as extreme!!!!!!!!

*Look op, whether you agree with this or not you should be thinking what sort of example you are setting your son by your attitude to this.

Why oh why do so many parents these days think that school rules on uniform and appearance are there to be challenged?

Rules are rules and learning that fact will be an invaluable lesson to your son in later life.

Please don't set him such a poor example.*

Haha fuck sake.

I don't understand how a haircut is "unsuitable" for school. Having short hair does not have any impact on exam results, attendance, ability to learn, manners....

Presumably for the same reasons that uniforms are promoted - extreme hairstyles often fashion victim hairstyles consciously or otherwise draw attention to the self and can encourage one-upmanship amongst the children? If

I think my boys have a grade 3

Just checked the uniform rules at their school and it does say nothing less than a 3

I'm really struggling to see this as an extreme haircut!

I was expecting something ridiculous! That's absolutely fine, it's essentially a shorter short back and sides.
To those saying it's not appropriate for school, why exactly?

Userwhocouldntthinkofagoodname I honestly don't know anyone at all, with or without kids, who would consider that haircut 'extreme'.

It's basically the haircut my grandad had done by razor-wielding Army barbers for the duration of World War II. If it wasn't too extreme for fighting against the Nazis, I can't really see how it could be too extreme for going to assembly.

I can't get my head around why a hair cut would have any effect on schooling. But also why a short, sharp haircut would be considered 'extreme'? Surely it looks very smart and presentable so that's the point? I can understand no bright colours and Mohawks etc, almost in preparation for working (in strict jobs at least) but this just seems to be a whim of the schools?

That's just stupid. Long, messy dirty hair is one thing but short neat hair, a natural colour, with no lines, zig zags or words shaved in is just normal hair for most blokes.

Crikey even in the military they don't stipulate what grade or style your hair has to be - they just buzzcut them all to grade 1 or 2 on joining! The shorter the better.

It's the same haircut as Kim Jung Un. Maybe they're worried about Armageddon in the class room.

If it wasn't too extreme for fighting against the Nazis, I can't really see how it could be too extreme for going to assembly.

By that bizarre logic he should be fine going to school with a rifle and bayonet.

I had this issue with our school and eventually got them to change the school rule when I pointed out that boys with Afro hair often NEED to keep their hair short so that it is manageable. In fact a number three for some boys with Afro hair would be considered long! So the rule is actually discriminatory to black/mixed race boys. Ironically I think the 'no haircut shorter than a certain length' rule was originally brought in to prevent 'skinheads' , which are associated with right wing, neo-nazi-type people.

It's not just a Joey Essex type look...
This is Norman Maclean - author of A River Runs Through It, celebrated professor of English at Chicago, in the 1940s...
Hardly an extreme delinquent.

Rules are rules and learning that fact will be an invaluable lesson to your son in later life.

Yep, it's a great way to prevent innovation and creativity in later life and we can't have people going around boosting the economy with their exciting new ideas.

A better lesson to learn is nuance, which is something the school could do with knowing: some rules are absolute for good reasons, and others are fucking stupid and should be stood up to.

Controlling children's hair when it's not a health and safety issue is fucking ridiculous and the school should be ashamed of themselves. Who gaf that it's an extreme hairstyle? Is it going to get caught in the bunsen burners? No? Then let them be a mad looking as they like.

Stupid. It's hair.

Everyone saying 'Well, my child's school says it can't be shorter than a number 3 / shaved at the sides etc so you should have known' really ought to RTFT where the OP specifically says that a) her son's hair isn't shaved like the picture and b) that the school didn't specify anything about lengths or what they considered to be 'extreme'.

Well, to be fair, girls have had to put up with this nonsense for years on a 'whim' of schools. From the top of their heads to the soles of their shoes, it's a full-time job keeping the 'girls' appearance rules' up to date 😱

The issue is if the school writes a great long list of what is and isn't extreme it will need to add to it every time there is a stupid new fashion for daft hair. It'll end up 20 pages long!

I remember a teacher at my eldests school telling me he'd cut my sons ponytail off himself if I didn't get it cut "properly". I said they were breaching his human right to be individual and boom, they couldn't touch him. He still has long hair. You don't get away with all these rules in Scotland, the schools can't enforce them. Your sons hair cut sounds like the bog standard hair cut for boys at the moment. I'd be willing to bet he's not the only one with it in his school.

Our school specifies. The exact grade allowable.

Ds1 has similar to picture posted. But grade 0.5 on 1st day of summer holidays, and a 1.5 the week before term starts. That way it's fine for term starting.

What grade did he have it cut op? And when? Week before or day before?

During WW2 that was called a 'short back and sides' and was pretty much compulsory.

HerOtherHalf, if you can't see the difference between a haircut and a rifle, you have serious problems.

YANBU

They had a vague rule, and they are over punishing your son for having a different definition of "extreme".

I've taught (in the States) and I HATE isolation as a punishment. It is impossible for students to keep up with a class when they aren't allow to attend the class. It's not just about his social ties, but about instruction, class room procedures, etc. It's almost as if the administrators who come up with this crap don't think teachers are doing anything in the classes. What are they doing to ensure that he gets EVERYTHING he would if he got in his classes?

How quickly does your son's hair grow? How many weeks do you think this will go on?

Is there a way to appeal?

uniform says it all
telling someone what to do with their body is wrong and illegal in most places
50 years ago and off and on since the hissy fits were over long hair
i always find this interesting for not being able to be individual/and its probably the bald old dick heads who institute this crap

HerOtherHalf I hope you don't take everything so literally, or conversations with you must be really hard work.

Ceto Indeed