Sporting hair that looks completely natural to the untrained eye, a ninth grade student was nonetheless sent home from class by the vice principal of Hurricane Middle School in Utah for violating the school’s dress code, which bans “extreme hairstyles and colors.” She was later permitted to return, although she did nothing to change the deep auburn color of her hair.
The report is another addition to these gems from the past few weeks:
If school is supposed to prepare you for the real world, what lessons are we teaching children by acting like this? Clearly, that obeying the letter of the law is far more important than getting an education or (God forbid!) expressing yourself.
By contrast, suspending Brandon Guzda, a high school student from New York who posted an insulting comment about a teacher on Twitter, may seem like overkill—but at least has sound justification.
"I thought I could say what I want on Twitter in the luxury of my own home,” Guzda said.
Sure, you can say it, but you will have to face the consequences. Word travels fast online, and once you say something it’s impossible to unsay it. Employees have lost jobs for venting about their bosses via social media. Better to learn this lesson now than later.
There will always be debate over what constitutes a sufficient punishment for breaking a rule. However, most of these students weren’t doing anything wrong.