Six-Year-Old to Be Suspended for Flat Top Haircut

May 21, 2008

A military haircut has caused quite the controversy for a six-year-old Alabama boy. And, funnily enough it's not even an alternative style though school officials have termed it a mohawk. The student is being taken to task for the "high and tight" sheering of his blond hair, which is just a tad longer across the top. In addition to teachers commenting on it, the principal has deemed it distracting to the educational environment. If the child doesn't trim his locks by Monday, he will be suspended.

If this was your child, would you abide by the school's rule?

33 Comments

3 years 22 weeks

ok...this is stupid. i live on a military base and you see haircuts like that all the time here. on kid and adults. therer is no problem with the kid's hair. it doesnt seem to distract from school. they're making it distract from school by making a big deal and suspending a 6 year old for a hair cut...

briantammypierce 4 years 32 weeks

Hello and I am so glad that I ran across this post! my name is Tammy and my son Brian was just suspended for the same thing here in Illinois.I would love to know what the mother did about this???? also , heres the link to my story! javascript:playVideo('2978728',%20'Mohawk%20or%20Military%3A%206th%20Grader%20Suspended%20Over%20Hairstyle%20Controversy',%20'v',%20'News',%20'142000',%20'News',%20'',%20'','flv');

mf 4 years 51 weeks

this is a classic military haircut. it may be unusual for some people who have never encountered soldiers. i find it questionable that they only brought this up after he had been attending school with the same haircut for quite some time. but honestly, the principal is the only person who seems to have had a distraction in his educational process. not too bright!

darlene 4 years 52 weeks

thats dumb, it is a normal hair cut

Ericka 4 years 52 weeks

I agree with Greggie. If it was stated in the rules at the beginning of the school year he should be suspended, if the silly mother doesn't trim it up. School is almost done he can grow it out over the summer. If the mom doesn't agree with the rule having your child suspended to get it changed isn't the best way to go about getting your voice heard.

ufshutterbabe 4 years 52 weeks

I always thought a mohawk would involve the hair standing straight up. I say they should completely shave that long part in the middle right off! Teach them what a distracting haircut really is! What could they possibly say then - "shave the rest of your head bald, your stripe is disturbing the other students" ?

PJ PJ PJ 4 years 52 weeks

That is hardly a mohawk. The mom even said that he had the cut for a while & it only just became an issue. I don't see how that cut is "distracting to the educational process." I think the PE teacher needs to be chastised for making any kind of deal out of it. So ridiculous.

TwistandShout 4 years 52 weeks

Yes, flat tops are distracting and jewelry is too shiny and, now that we think of it, any clothing other than some sort of gray or blue should also be banned. Ugh.

OctoberKids 4 years 52 weeks

My little guy is sporting a mohawk right now. His teachers at preschool think it's cool!

jistpeechy 4 years 52 weeks

Where's the line between conformity and Soviet Regime?? Sounds like this guy can't even handle subtle differences. Just shave it off, and address the principal as Stalin from now on:)

MarinerMandy 5 years 2 h

They are up in arms over THAT? If that school can't accept a haircut that tame, they must be extremely intollerant of anyone who looks the slightest bit different from them.

anniekim 5 years 3 h

The haircut seems pretty tame to me. But if there is a clear rule on the school books against it, I'd cut it. I certainly wouldn't get worked up enough to call in the news media.

MartiniLush 5 years 3 h

Wow! This is ridiculous!

jessie 5 years 3 h

I've sent my son to school that way. And there was no problems. It wasn't distracting, it wasn't sticking straight up or dyed funky colors. He just thought it was cool, so did his dad and I. Wow! I'm glad our school is a little more laid back.

runningesq 5 years 4 h

This could be a constitutional issue of freedom of speech (expression). If the school is public, they can have reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on dress (i.e. no curse words on tshirts, no midriff baring shirts, etc.) but I don't think this would pass constitutional muster.

honey693 5 years 4 h

I'm an elementary teacher and that is a really tame haircut. It shouldn't be distracting anyone. If it is, the other kids are the ones with problems. We have kids with full out mohawks (one even dyes it green on occasiona) and no one pays any attention.

catchawhale 5 years 5 h

That principle scares me! "If it's anything distracting to the education environment we can deem it unexceptionable..." That's a whole lot of power he thinks he has. I could just see "Ashley your nails are too long. SUSPENDED" "Brian your shoes are too bright. Suspended!" "Britney you're growing breasts early. SUSPENDED!" No, but seriously, how is that haircut distracting! They teachers need some help.

Greggie 5 years 5 h

If it was a stated part of the dress code before school started, I wouldn't have cut my kids hair that way in the first place. It's not a military style, it's noticeably long in the middle. Our schools have a rule that it wouldn't be allowed. They can't do color gel except on picture days, either. It may not be a rule I agree with, like many others, but allowing my child to break it isn't the way to go about fighting it. If I want a rule changed, I work with the school and district. Although this particular one isn't important enough to me to fight, I think a dress code is important and if I don't agree with certain specifics, I'm ok with that.

sarahinparis 5 years 5 h

I agree that his is a dumb rule. If they can't teach beyond a little long hair, I shutter to think what trouble a classroom full of six-year olds returning from recess poses. At the same time, it looks like a mohawk - its not a clean cut as the military style high and tight I'm familiar with.

foxie 5 years 5 h

That'll show 'em, bluepuppy!

bluepuppybites 5 years 5 h

This is stupid. They obviously have nothing better to do with their time at that school. The kid's hair is fine and if it was my kid I wouldn't trim it so I guess he would be suspended.

foxie 5 years 6 h

Who cares if it's a ridiculous rule? It'd be a TAD more ridiculous to let your kid get suspended over hair standards. I say cut it!

bluebird 5 years 6 h

If my fiance didn't have a haircut like that, they wouldn't let him be at work either, meumitsuki!

Kimpossible 5 years 6 h

I'm with Jen and DesignRchic, but then again I wouldn't have had my sons hair cut like that either.

Mishell 5 years 6 h

I would tell the school to F-off. Hair is not their profession, teaching is. I can't imagine any hairstyle being so distracting that it would cause other kids to not learn what they are being taught. However, I can imagine a principal on a power trip who thinks he's the next best thing to god trying to assert that power over helpless children. If it were me, I wouldn't allow my child to go school in that environment. Kids are not lemmings, they are little whole people.

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