Parents have child. Parents live where they have to pay taxes, some of which go to public schools. Parents choose to send their child to those public schools. Child apparently misbehaves and then cleans up his act. Parents award him by allowing him to grow an unconventional haircut. Time passes. Before the school photo is taken, some of his classmates' parents complain that the punk haircut will ruin their picture.
So, the school's principal allegedly gets the permission of the mother and then washes the dye out of the child's hair. Except the mother and father assert no such permission was given.
Principal Washes Dye Out of Kid's Hair
Parents of a 6-year-old boy say they plan to consult an attorney after a school principal washed bright blue dye out of their son's punk-style haircut.Levey Padocs Jr.'s father said he allowed his son to get the distinctive 'do more than a month ago for behaving better in class.
But parents of the boy's kindergarten classmates complained the haircut would spoil an upcoming class photo, so Principal Derek Cooper said he washed the boy's hair in the nurse's office after getting permission from the boy's mother.
The boy's father said neither he nor the mother approved the washing. They plan to discuss the situation with an attorney.
"Leave him alone. He's not a problem child. He's not hurting anyone," Levey Padocs Sr. said. "He's an individual, and that's how he's expressing his individuality."
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
All I do know is that I'd be fuckin' pissed off if a school official screwed up my son's hair to please a group of parents. I'd be angry with the principal, but especially with those other parents if they wanted something done that day. If they exerted enough pressure on Mr. Cooper to fix the situation, they'd be getting an earful from me.
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Well think bout it. It wasn't the hair they were afraid of, it's what it represemted in their eyes. Noncomformity. A virus ready to spread out among their kids.
What they wanted the principle to do was give him a symbolic brainwashing. 'hah' Kinda funny, isn't it?
Long time, no see!
I dyed my hair dark green when I was younger and had it grown out longer. My dad hated it. I'm sure some classmates thought it was stupid. But I paid for the dye and I took the time to do it right. Personal expression is too important to children in schools to bring down the hammer like this.
Posted by: Drizz on April 7, 2004 09:21 AMYeah, personal expression is fine as long as it doesn't lead to massive antisozial behaviour. I always used to do things my way, even as a kid, it only strenghens my selfesteem. Now as an adult *urgh* I can make my own decision and enforce em even if they go against the majority. A quiet important trail for good leadership.
Been busy with the army and forgot bout all of this ^^' I'll be visitng this blog more often now.
Im Christie the 6 year olds Mom and Im still in shock over this whole thing with my son's hair. My lord its 2004. We live in America. How can an adult stand in front of a group of kids and point one out (a 6 year old) and say "I dont want that kid in the picture because he has a blue mohawk". What the hell is this? Who the hell do they think they are? Oh but thats OK cause hes white. If this would of been a child of any other color this would be so big. I know what discrimination is and this is definately what happened here. How was he hurting anyone? Hes a good boy and he earned it. We told him if he behaved in school he could do the haircut and he did good, so he got it.Now I have to explain to my son that hes just as good as any of those other kids that were in both pictures. Yes, after we said No they could not exclude him, they did. This child now feels like hes not liked and his self esteem has plummeted.Thank God its Spring break and hes not in school. I cant imagine what hes gonna go through when school starts back up. The principal is saying he had permission, why the hell would any parent allow another adult to wash there sons hair especially when both of the parents are early 80s punk-rockers. We believe in freedom of expression and if my son wants blue hair, he can have it as long as hes being a good boy. Remember this is 2004 and we are in America. Arent we?
Posted by: christie patocs on April 8, 2004 12:22 PMWell, I'm the grandmother of Levey Jr.and I'm socked about this whole story.
Don't take me wrong, I don't like the blue hair, but the way it was handled by the school, especially the principal and also the other parents. Why did this get in the newspaper, or the internet for that matter?? Or, this is the biggest news we have to worry about Mr. Cooper?
if all the world only had to worry about was a childs hair color this would be a great place to pause. as a mother of three daughters and grandma to almost eight; give me individuality. (my fathers name was patocs but the nuns in chicago changed it to patoch).kind of sucks, right? maybe we are related?
Posted by: lacy patoch on January 31, 2005 09:37 PM