PARMA, Ohio (AP) -- A kindergarten student with a freshly spiked Mohawk
has been suspended from school.

Michelle Barile, the mother of 6-year-old Bryan Ruda, said nothing in
the Parma Community School handbook prohibits the haircut,
characterized by closely shaved sides with a strip of prominent hair
on top. The school said the hair was a distraction for other students.

"I understand they have a dress code. I understand he has a uniform.
But this is total discrimination," she said. "They can't tell me how I
can cut his hair."

An administrator at the suburban Cleveland charter school first warned
Barile last fall that the haircut wasn't acceptable. The school later
sent another warning to her reiterating the ban.

Mohawks violate the school's policy on being properly groomed, school
Principal Linda Geyer said. Also, the school district's dress code
allows school officials to forbid anything that interferes with the
conduct of education.

Full article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2008-02-27-mohawk-suspension_N.htm?csp=34

I happen to have a copy of my junior high school handbook. In it,
"writing on one's skin" is prohibited.

KD wrote:

Well, let's introduce another scenario. What if the kid had a "normal"
haircut but the hair was dyed green and purple. Is that OK? Would that
cause a distraction? That would probably be acceptable at clown school
in Sarasota but nixed elsewhere.

On Mar 4, 9:50 am, Vic nyetspamatt.net> wrote:

Did you look at the pic in the article? The term "mohawk" conjures
images of long, sharp spikes, but that is not what this kid had. He
had essentially a buzz cut over all of his head other than a strip of
hair down the center from front to back.

Drawing the line between that and the countless other variations on
hair cuts which include some long and some short parts seems a bit
arbitrary. Drawing an analogy to hair dyed a color that is not
natural to any human hair - well, that isn't even worth consideration.

I'll post a link here from a response to this same post in another ng
about other *issues* at this same school.

-KD

On Mar 4, 12:54 pm, KD gmail.com> wrote:

I don't really know how to do this via a link, so I'll just copy and
paste the other response which appears in alt.culture.ny-upstate

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: enigma evil.net>
Date: Mar 4, 5:53 am
Subject: Spiked haircut gets Ohio kindergartner suspended
To: alt.culture.ny-upstate

this particular school is a charter school. my friend's
daughter went there for full day kindergarten. C, the
daughter, has CP. not a severe case, but she does things like
tap her toes & such. the theacher...

On 2008-03-04 12:54:46 -0600, KD gmail.com> said:

KD wrote:

"KD" gmail.com> wrote in message
news:c159ef3a-feaf-4e58-9da6-6d9bbca8d2b3@x41g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...

Haven't seen the picture, and could really care less how folks wear their
hair. That's their business not mine, though in business, it can become
problematic.

Personally, I've been working most of my life on a reverse mohawk, au
natural.

"jakdedert" bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:6Uhzj.2683$4m3.1205@bignews7.bellsouth.net...

On 2008-03-04 17:41:24 -0600, "Olin" comcast.net> said:

Please do not dishonour our beloved Master Kent, himself a Chuckles.

"Boston Blackie (Read only 0.01%% by KD the Merciless!)" mail.com>
wrote in message news:2008030419265916807-bblackie@mailcom...

Oh, but if you'd known the Chuckles of whom I spoke, you would not have been
able to resist either.

He was (and as far as I know still is) a singular piece of work.