1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

2. Locks of Love will almost certainly sell the hair for pillows and other non-wig purposes. Do a little research. They use almost none of the hair they receive to make actual wigs (and even when they do, it's usually for non-cancer patients with permanent hair loss anyway).

Didn't the long hair hate die when the Beatles arrived? Nice douchey move, school powers that be.

Getting tired of all this "I get to violate policies or laws because I came up with a sappy reason" bullshiat.

Just like that woman, Chantura something-something, I think, that doesn't think she deserved to be arrested for getting her 11yo a tatoo, because it was of his dead brother.

Pud: YOU'RE NOT LIKE ME. Therefore you must be punished.

Yep. Individuality through conformity

cmcl: 1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

A dress code instated and inforced by power tripping administrators more concerned with subjugating the students to their authority than encouraging any sort of actual growing up.

/dnrtfa

I still like him better than Steinbrenner.

It never ceases to amuse me how much drama hair can generate.

Poison: Didn't the long hair hate die when the Beatles arrived? Nice douchey move, school powers that be.

if you're serious, for many the beatles were the first exposure to what was called long hair. it caused a ruckus.

Victim: A person who voluntarily agrees to do something then is punished for choosing not to do it.

Which direction vis-a-vis his head would you like his hair to grow?

StrangeQ: cmcl: 1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

A dress code instated and inforced by power tripping administrators more concerned with subjugating the students to their authority than encouraging any sort of actual growing up.

/dnrtfa

Maybe if he has a problem with the dress code he should transfer to a regular Flint public school that doesn't have a dress code restriction.

If he wants to stay in the charter school, he should abide by their rules.

After all, it's probably all those "rules" that make it less of a shiat hole than the rest of the Flint schools.....which is why he is there in the first place.

FTA:

Since his hair isn't very long yet, Kneer said he proposed that Gaskins use styling gel, put the hair in cornrows or simply comb it to comply with the rules.

"I need his hair out of his eyes and off the collar," Kneer told the Associated Press. "I really want this boy to be back in school. I feel like combing his hair wouldn't be a big concession ... He doesn't have hair down the middle of his back. It's an inch over his collar."

Gaskins said the recommendation for cornrows "doesn't even sound like a compromise."
Unless someone can explain to me how suggesting a hairstyle that will allow him to grow out his hair and not break the rules isn't a compromise. (Does putting hair in cornrows damage or alter it somehow?) Otherwise it seems to me this is in fact an attempt to flout the school rules.

Also: i>Gaskins says he plans to wait until after graduation in May to cut his hair; + Gaskins said his hair has to be at least 10 inches long in a ponytail for the donation. Right now, it's about 21/2 inches Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't hair grow about an inch a month, putting the length at 6 1/2 inches in May, still well short of the donation length?

I love how the school specifically says cornrows also result in a suspension. Other things that result in a suspension include learning that witchcraft called science and asking for something to be explained in class.

This makes sense, I definitely want a public school to teach my kid what boys and girls should look like. Boys hair off the collar because it must be short, girls hair can be long though, wait it must be long. Boys can only wear browns and blues, girls can only wear pink. Boys will only wear pants and collared shirts, girls will always wear pretty pink dresses and must have a bow in their hair at all times.

Know your gender roles people, this is important and definitely a public school's business.

To quote Alexei Sayle, "if Hitler had invaded Poland for charity, oh well, that would have been alright then.".

She says while hair donations are vital to the volunteer-based organization, there are other ways to get involved, including fundraisers. "There are so many ways to support Locks of Love, and we are truly grateful for all of those efforts and this young man and his desire to give back," Kukkamaa said. "But certainly, we understand the school has its reasons for having certain policies in place."

The kid is just trying to put on a show. The school should counter by offering to host a fundraiser that he will organize.

Eponymous: After all, it's probably all those "rules" that make it less of a shiat hole than the rest of the Flint schools.....which is why he is there in the first place.

Boys having short hair keeps schools from becoming shiat holes? I'm interested, how?

Sleeping Monkey

A school system owned by private corporations, what could possibly go wrong?

Charter schools are not owned by "corporations" but it's not surprising to see moon-bats go to their hatred of private enterprise even when government is to blame.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cs/re/csabout.asp

What is a Charter School?

A charter school is a public school, and it may provide instruction in any of grades K-12. A charter school is usually created or organized by a group of teachers, parents and community leaders or a community-based organization, and it is usually sponsored by an existing local public school board or county board of education.

Maybe if you attended something other than a failed public school you'd have a better grasp on vocabulary.

Eponymous: StrangeQ: cmcl: 1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

A dress code instated and inforced by power tripping administrators more concerned with subjugating the students to their authority than encouraging any sort of actual growing up.

/dnrtfa

Maybe if he has a problem with the dress code he should transfer to a regular Flint public school that doesn't have a dress code restriction.

If he wants to stay in the charter school, he should abide by their rules.

After all, it's probably all those "rules" that make it less of a shiat hole than the rest of the Flint schools.....which is why he is there in the first place.

More likely it is a the school's access to more money and better teachers. Petty rules like this one only serve to teach students that life is full of arbitrary bullshiat that shouldn't be trusted.

I'm going to say this. If you are growing your hair out to donate. You can make a special request to the school officials and get the go ahead (assuming there's a dress code). That is how it worked at my old school. And boys were allowed to grow their hair out with permission.

cmcl: 1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

2. Locks of Love will almost certainly sell the hair for pillows and other non-wig purposes. Do a little research. They use almost none of the hair they receive to make actual wigs (and even when they do, it's usually for non-cancer patients with permanent hair loss anyway).



Really? Can I get a citation?

RickN99: Victim: A person who voluntarily agrees to do something then is punished for choosing not to do it.

I decided to grow out when a friend of mine told me his brother was having problems at school. He was going through chemotherapy and of course all of his hair was falling out, but to top it off, the little assholes at his school made fun of him for it. He wasn't the coolest kid ever; we played hours of Civ3 together, and we played a lot of D&D. He was socially awkward, and now his hair was falling out. No kid should have to go through dying AND being a social outcast being made fun of daily. So I grew my hair out. I didn't go through Locks of Love, though, because I'd heard similar things to what CMCL said. I found a company around here to make it. Anyway, it's a stupid rule, and I don't see why any school should have it. What business is it of theirs how long a boy's hair is? What a stupid, stupid fight to pick.

/cool story, bro
//the kid is dead now
/he was buried with the wig

I'm so glad I spent the bulk of my teen years in a public school that didn't care if we had long hair, mohawks, crew cuts, or no hair at all, as long as we got the homework done, weren't troublemakers, and passed tests. They didn't care what we wore, either.

Kids today have a crappy deal.

cbackous: Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him

1 Corinthians 11:14

Suck it.

No, nature does not teach that.

Tsar_Bomba1: cmcl: 1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

2. Locks of Love will almost certainly sell the hair for pillows and other non-wig purposes. Do a little research. They use almost none of the hair they receive to make actual wigs (and even when they do, it's usually for non-cancer patients with permanent hair loss anyway).

Really? Can I get a citation?

If Googling Locks of Love criticism is too much trouble, will the Wikipedia entry do for a start?

Long hair issues for boys in the 21st century?
Didn't their grandparents kill this issue?

So 40 years ago.

Eponymous: After all, it's probably all those "rules" that make it less of a shiat hole than the rest of the Flint schools.....which is why he is there in the first place.

Studies have been that done have shown school uniforms have almost no positive influence on the learning environment. The small exception is that teachers rate students better who are in uniforms, literally the only effect is to reduce a teacher's prejudices.

And sorry Rick, didn't mean to quote anyone. Don't know why I pressed that button. Still waking up.

yves0010: I'm going to say this. If you are growing your hair out to donate. You can make a special request to the school officials and get the go ahead (assuming there's a dress code). That is how it worked at my old school. And boys were allowed to grow their hair out with permission.

Or maybe schools should STFU and teach kids instead of telling them how they can wear their hair. That's how it worked at my old school.

cmcl: 1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

2. Locks of Love will almost certainly sell the hair for pillows and other non-wig purposes. Do a little research. They use almost none of the hair they receive to make actual wigs (and even when they do, it's usually for non-cancer patients with permanent hair loss anyway).

Considering the cost of making the wigs, perhaps they receive a lot of hair donations, but not much in the way of monetary donations? If that's the case it would make sense for them to sell excess hair so they can continue making wigs...

Come to think of it, i have only ever heard of hair donation drives for locks of love. I've never heard of anyone trying to raise money for them...

Sleeping Monkey: A school system owned by private corporations, what could possibly go wrong?

Bingo

cmcl: Locks of Love will almost certainly sell the hair for pillows

A hair-filled pillow sounds like the worst thing ever.

cmcl: Tsar_Bomba1: cmcl: 1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

2. Locks of Love will almost certainly sell the hair for pillows and other non-wig purposes. Do a little research. They use almost none of the hair they receive to make actual wigs (and even when they do, it's usually for non-cancer patients with permanent hair loss anyway).

Really? Can I get a citation?

If Googling Locks of Love criticism is too much trouble, will the Wikipedia entry do for a start?

Sure but that wikipedia entry says Locks of Love is a reputable charity. It also says Locks of Love sells the hair to get money to buy synthetic wigs for kids instead.

Locks of Love sells donations of untreated hair to raise funds with which to provide synthetic wigs to children suffering from alopecia.

A few clicks later and you find a different charity that says:

Wigs for Kids appreciates a donation with each ponytail to help offset the costs involved in processing and production of hairpieces. The cost of one hair piece can range from $1,500 - $3,000 .

So at first I was like >:-( and now I'm all :-D

Kid wants to look like Justin Bieber and AW, principal is willing to compromise on the rules if the hair is out of kid's eyes and off his collar. AW kid is unwilling to do this because he would look like a dork, which is too high a cost for his principles, and his mommy is buying his "poor me" schtick and letting him get out of school and play the smug little martyr while doing it.

Yeah.

Kid: 1
Mom: 0

The worst thing about it is the little brat has managed to get media attention, etc., drawn in with it and is learning exactly the wrong lesson from the experience. He's learning he can manipulate people and that if he gets enough attention and swings PR and sympathy right, he gets his way.

Lesson the mom should be teaching? "Yes, the dress code is a stupid rule. I agree with you and understand why you're frustrated. I don't like my dress code at work. It's arbitrary and it stinks. But you will probably always have one, unless you pick a field and employer where you make some financial or other sacrifices to get a job without a dress code, or unless you go into business for yourself. Even then, you will have times when you have to meet dress expectations of others, like if you have to appear in court. So let's find ways within the rules that you can help other people fighting cancer---because helping is about helping, it's not all about you."

But she's not teaching her son that helping is not all about him. She's letting him drift in the continuing kid fog that the world revolves around him.

Lousy parenting.

oldernell: White Jesus had long heir, too. Considering that and his radical beliefs, they would probably throw Him out too.

Jesus has been back 6 times, and died in prison each time.

As a 32 year old man with long hair, I say, fark the people who made that policy. I'm quite lucky to have a good job that also allows me to keep my hair long, but most people can't. Let kids do whatever the crap they want with their hair before they have to get jobs.

Gwyrddu: Eponymous: After all, it's probably all those "rules" that make it less of a shiat hole than the rest of the Flint schools.....which is why he is there in the first place.

Studies have been that done have shown school uniforms have almost no positive influence on the learning environment. The small exception is that teachers rate students better who are in uniforms, literally the only effect is to reduce a teacher's prejudices.

It's just to prepare the children for their adult roles as mindless conformity drones

cmcl: 1. It's a school dress code, not the end of civil rights as we know it. Grow up.

It's an incredibly stupid, backwards, and childish rule, and deserves all the scorn that can be heaped upon it.

"Rule" =! "Right"

I do sympathize with this mom on one level. Her kid almost died of cancer. He's been fighting cancer all his life. I can only dimly imagine how scary that must be.

It's tempting for parents with ordinary, healthy children to give in to being our child's friend instead of the parent. It's so tempting that a lot of regular parents with no extra problems going on give in and become buddies to their kids.

This mom has lived with so much fear of losing her child for so much of his life, I get it that she's gotten in the habit of indulging him with a mama bear's ferocity. It's understandable.

But for the sake of the kid's personality, I hope she learns to stop doing it.