"The school district claims its "integrity and board approved policies are being maligned and twisted on social media."

for some authoritarian assholes who want to make everyone bow to their authority.
Good thing there are some humans out there to point out that this is foolish policy.

Yes, you have a written policy about dress code. But use your common sense!

Geez!

Seems to have evaporated lately.

This is the kind of public officials that make me sick.

I was raised about 65 miles away from Poth in a school so I understand the thinking of the administrators there. My high school has a similar dress code.

Easy.

They won't change the dress code regardless of the situation. Men can't have sideburns below the ears, hair can't be on the shoulders, no facial hair, no unnatural hair colors except for possibly bleached hair, no tattoos, no piercings, must wear a belt and so on. I had one friend who had to shave at lunch because his facial hair grew too quickly.

does any of these rules do for learning? I do not understand how people put up with this shit.

With respect to pride, schools should have a say if the students are representing the school in any extracurricular activities (athletic, music, or academic), particularly if the students are wearing a school uniform.

There is also an issue with safety. Long hair is definitely a liability in contact sports such as football or basketball. It is also a liability for anyone taking classes like shop (and I'm certain that Poth has those classes) since hair can get entangled in mechanical equipment.

I do recall one thing that my high school math teacher said to me. She would rather break up a fight between two boys than between two girls because the girls were worse at pulling hair. Most boys don't have hair to pull.

Finally, there is also an issue with hygiene such as lice and loose hair. While students can have those problems no matter the length of their hair, longer hair is more difficult to control.

Since there are liability issues involved with safety and hygiene, the school district does have a legitimate reason to adopt a conservative dress code in order to protect the taxpayers from potential lawsuits.

what century are you living in. Hygiene??? and boys will pull boys hair in a fight? Seriously that is complete and utter bullshit. People pay taxes to educate the children not for a dystopian society that tells everyone how to dress, how to cut their hair. I have never heard such stupid nonsense in a long long time.

Do you think that students fight fairly? They will use every tactic possible to win a fight even if the tactic is less than fair or honorable.

I also find your response to be incredibly insulting. I didn't insult you, so why are you responding to me so disrespectfully?

http://guyslonghair.com/top-10-nfl-football-players-with-long-hair/

However, I've watched games and saw football players grabbed by their hair when they were tackled. Penalties were assessed for the personal foul, but in some cases it prevented the player from scoring a touchdown so it actually hurt the entire team.

BTW, I did grow my hair long when I was in college. However, when I worked in a professional environment I did keep my hair at a more reasonable length because my hair looked scraggly. When I represented my employer in public, I left my tie-dye T-shirts and denim cutoffs in the closet because I wanted to make a positive impression as a professional.

If a player is grabbed by the hair and tackled, then he is letting down his team which seems somewhat selfish. I would hate to be that player if I cost my team a chance to win a game or get into the playoffs.

A coach may have a requirement for short hair -- which may reduce the pool of talent available to that coach -- because of the situation you describe. A school making that requirement just for conformity is simply an overreach in control, in my opinion.

To better keep your sentiment consistently applied when relevant, and so it doesn't hurt the entire team...

and the opposing team isn't reaching across the net to grab each other. There you are, I've remained consistent with my earlier post.

unless female students also have hair length restrictions. Young women play contact sports and take shop.

Can my school make a dress code policy?
YES.i But your school does not have the right to use the policy to disfavor a specific message or single out one particular group of students.

-snip-

Can my school have different dress code policies for boys and girls?
YES. Many schools do have different dress code policies for boys and girls. But some differences in dress codes may not be okay. Such policies could include ones that prohibit girls from wearing yoga pants and leg warmers or boys from having long hair. If you can’t be yourself at school because of a gendered school dress code policy—for example, if you are a boy and you need to have long hair for religious reasons—please contact us.

Do I have the right to be gender non-conforming at school?
YES. Schools cannot discriminate against you based on your sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.ii Even if your school has a gendered dress code policy, you should still be able to wear the clothing and hairstyle allowed any student. For example, if your school allows boys to wear tuxedos to prom, then it must also allow a girl to wear a tuxedo as an expression of your gender or gender identity or your political or social views.

https://www.aclunc.org/our-work/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-school-dress-codes-and-uniforms

In this case, the student is not claiming discrimination for cultural-bias or gender-bias reasons.

I'm not aware of the community of Poth having any problems with their dress code and I was raised in that area of the state. This appears to be more of an issue of what this one student thinks he can get away with. His sister can get a wig from anywhere so why does it matter who donates the hair?

There are plenty of other schools in south Texas that have dress codes that regulate hair length for male students. The ones that do appear to maintain better discipline both inside and outside of the classroom. When I was a band student in high school, we were treated much worse by the students from schools with law dress codes (such as having rocks thrown at us while we were in the bus). It was also disgusting seeing students from the lax schools smoking cigarettes in their half unbuttoned band uniforms at football games. The taxpayers pay for those uniforms and other students have to wear those uniforms for several years afterwards. If you let the students get away with breaking the small rules, then they will attempt to take break all of the rules.

Furthermore, employers can also set dress codes so it will do the students some good if they learn to adhere to rules earlier in life rather than being pandered to until they are adults. A little bit of discipline isn't going to harm anyone's psyche.

Every major league of every sport would require it. Every high school and university would require it. Girls play sports too and would need short hair.

And it has nothing to do with hygiene either or, again, girls would have to have short hair.

Nearly everyone on DU believes that dress codes are oppressive. We might as well let the girls wear bikinis and the boys wear Speedos to class since neither are disruptive to the learning process.

Come on DU, this is a small, conservative high school in an area that is populated with cowboys, ranchers, and oil field workers. Does anyone actually expect Poth, Texas to be as liberal as New York or San Francisco? If the rules were so oppressive, wouldn't the community have demanded changes by now?

I guess that Poth High School and my high school are the only schools in the entire country that have dress codes. Maybe that is why my small high school turned out a disproportionately large number doctors, lawyers, and engineers?

And wealthy that turns out a lot of doctors, lawyers, and engineers. That's about money, not conservatism. The dress code is stupid.

but only a few students in the district were from wealthy families. There weren't any new facilities and the junior high school building was 50 years old when I was a student, while the high school was about 30 years old. The student body was 60% white and 40% Mexican-American. The students that went to the nearest junior college actually made better grades in college than they did in high school Those students also did better than the students from the other school districts in the service area of that junior college.

I really don't see the adoption of a dress code any differently than other school districts that mandate wearing uniforms to school. Although there are a few studies that disagree, most studies do indicate that there is positive benefit in achievement when schools require the students to wear uniforms.

I also spent some time doing classroom observations as I started working on a teacher certification as a post-grad. There was stronger discipline in the classroom and the students were more focused on learning when I compare my high school to the high school I observed that had a lax dress code. I don't believe that any of my teachers at my high school felt threatened or intimidated by the students, while my conversations with the teachers where I did my observations indicated the opposite.

The success of the students from my high school was driven mostly by tough teachers who instilled a strong work ethic, but they also emphasized that we take pride and exhibit it in our actions. While some might think that the dress code is stupid, I think that it did factor into our success. I can only offer anecdotal evidence and I realize that there are other socioeconomic factors involved, but I think that I benefited from the fact that there were community standards, discipline, and a dress code. Or maybe I'm wrong and it was just something in the water?

I was there and you weren't so I'm more inclined to believe what I observed.

they'd make the girls wear short hair, too. Most of the "issues" you listed apply equally to both sexes.

in the Poth ISD and ask him for his rationale behind the dress code?

in which you made lame-ass excuses for this ridiculous sexist policy.

There are plenty of school districts in Texas that have similar policies. You are welcome to go on a crusade if those policies bother you so much.

The administrators and the school boards in those districts apparently feel that the policies are conducive to learning and help enforce discipline. The students are eventually going to have to learn to live with rules and laws--some of which may seem ridiculous or even sexist.

Like most parents learn and experience, their children are always going to push boundaries and question rules. I believe that this is a situation where this particular student is trying to see what he can get away with. He is justifying his position by playing the sympathy card with his sister's medical condition. Any anxiety that his sister may experience can be alleviated through other means without the student trying to break the rules established by the school district. If the student and his parents don't agree with the district, there are two other school districts within seven miles where he can transfer. And as I mentioned earlier he can always homeschool. It isn't like this student is being oppressed with no options available.

Quite frankly, there are a lot of parents that search and move to areas where the school districts are more conservative because they believe that their children will benefit by living in that environment. My own parents chose to move from Corpus Christi to a rural area because my older sisters were getting into fights with their classmates, busing had just been adopted in the Corpus Christi ISD, and the quality of education was lower. There are tradeoffs with those choices, but I don't believe that every school district should have to adopt identical policies. Some parents are going to be more comfortable sending their children to districts that have more liberal dress code policies and lax discipline standards, while other parents will prefer more conservative policies and stricter discipline standards. The beauty and strength of the educational system in this country is that one size does not fit all.

Women's contact sports similarly have many, if not most of their players with long hair.

So liability is a weak, if not outright wrong rationale.

As for hygiene, are you suggesting that long haired females are unhygienic? Trying to understand what you're saying here because it sounds sexist (and again, wrong)

Perhaps there is something within the history of the Poth ISD as to why they adopted such restrictions in their dress code?

The student has plenty of options available to him if he disagrees so vehemently with the dress code, including filing a lawsuit. He can always get the ACLU involved.

I'm not going to respond to your allegation that I'm sexist because that is insulting and false.

Since pro sports allow long hair, where liability AND public perception are critical, I think your position that this is a liability issue is demonstrably false for Poth.

You also said long hair is unhygienic which is insulting as hell (and false)

However, since you are pressing me in this discussion, what I will say is that I think that the administrators could be concerned that the student might be bullied or harassed by his classmates. That is a liability concern for the administrators. If the student is harmed by other students then the parents might sue the school district for failing to protect their son. I can understand why the administrators might view the situation as "why invite trouble" which is why they didn't permit the student to grow his hair.

And what I did say in post #16 is this:

That is not the same as saying long hair is unhygienic--you are inserting words that are not present in my statement. I know both men and women that have long hair that they are able to keep clean. However, loose hair is much a greater problem when it is longer--I know because I grew my hair several inches longer when I was in college and would find follicles around the bedroom and bathroom sink. FWIW, I'm nearly 55 years old and still have a full head of hair, but I'll never grow it long again because it is hot for about seven months every year in Texas, it looks scraggly, and I don't want to clog the bathtub.

If the student was growing his hair for religious, cultural, or for reasons related to gender identity then I would say that the administrators made an incorrect decision. However, none of those elements were involved. The student has numerous options to remedy the situation and his sister is also not affected by the decision of the administrators since she can wear a wig with hair donated by anyone or that has synthetic hair.

Finally, please stop with the accusations that I'm sexist. That is a personal attack that has no factual basis. I regret if you feel insulted because that was not my intention, but I also know that some people look for reasons to take offense. Have a nice day.

but it's very unlikely they would say so if it's true. In 1 Corinthians 11 : 14, Paul writes:

this is supposed to be a progressive board.

The school district has rules, the student apparently petitioned to allow an exception to those rules and the administrators did not agree to that exception. The student can either comply with the rules, enroll in another school district, or choose to be home-schooled so he has choices available to him. Nobody is forcing him to cut his hair.

I guess that the next step for the student is to get the ACLU involved and sue for gender inequity if he believes that his rights have been violated. However, since things stay on the Internet forever and he will attract as much negative publicity as positive publicity if he pursues those actions.

While I have sympathy for his sister because of the side effects of chemotherapy, there are other options available for her to maintain her appearance such as wigs. Even if he donates hair for his sister, the only way that she would benefit from it is if his hair was made into a wig.

IIRC growing up, your district was determined by where you live. Pretty much period unless you were right on a border and had some compelling reason to go to other than the one proscribed school.

Even if it is, how far away would the kid have to travel in order to do so?

What if his folks aren't able to 'home school' him, for whatever reason?

Kinda surprised this doesn't at least warrant a peep of disapproval from you TT.

What would you say if this was a girl and she wasn't being allowed to go to school because she had a pixie doo going on, and the regs required girls hair to be 'at least this long'?

That be totally cool with you?

Poth to Floresville (a larger school district)
Poth to Falls City (a smaller school district)

Poth to Karnes City (a similar size school district is 17 miles away)
Poth to Stockdale (a similar size school district is 19 miles away)
Poth to Pleasanton (a larger school district is 29 miles away)

There aren't many requirement to be met to homeschool a student:
https://thsc.org/how-to-homeschool/

One of my friends homeschooled back in the 1990s for his last two years of high school. Neither of his parents had a college degree--I don't know if they even attended college. They didn't provide much guidance to him and they definitely did not have the educational background to instruct him in foreign language, English, science, history, or math classes.

If the student was refusing to cut his hair because of a religious reason, cultural bias, or gender bias, then I would be more inclined to support that student. In this case, the reason stated is that he was growing his hair in case his sister may need a wig because of chemotherapy. Guess what, if the hair loss causes her anxiety then she going to want a wig so why does it matter who the hair donor is?

As for your question, there are no requirements that female students have their hair at a certain length at any school that I'm aware of so I don't see why we should discuss a hypothetical situation. As far as I know, both male and female students can be completely bald or have extremely short hair styles.

Most of the requirements that I'm aware of in Texas schools are that "unnatural" hair colors are not permitted, but students are permitted to have either bleached hair or hair that is dyed black. I did know one girl in high school with hair that looked pink in direct sunlight, but that was because she dyed her hair repeatedly within a short period of time and one of the dye jobs was botched so she had to have her hair bleached to return it from green to a somewhat normal color. If she continued to dye her hair then she would have gone bald because of all of the chemical treatments.

The student can file a lawsuit, but it seems like that would only add drama while his family already has enough problems with his sister's medical condition. The school district does have a responsibility to provide him with an education, but that can be satisfied with alternative education classes off campus or transporting him to one of the neighboring districts since they are in close proximity. It seems like that there are plenty of options available to the student. The school district may also be thinking the student might be ostracized by his classmates so they are protecting his safety by enforcing the rules.

I think if girls can have their hair whatever length they want, then boys should be able to do the same.

And if parents aren't qualified or are otherwise unable to properly homeschool, then that's not really a proper option.

Sending kids to other schools in the middle of high school is pretty traumatic. They don't want to start all over and not know anybody. It sucks. I did it myself.

My two oldest sisters had to move frequently and didn't form as many friendships compared to my youngest sister, my brother, or myself who didn't have to move frequently.

I also agree that homeschooling does not accomplish much if the parents do not have a sufficient educational background. I was a strong academic student and could provide instruction in most courses, but I would be horrible if I tried to provide instruction in foreign languages for example.

As far as our disagreement on hair length, I do think that students should realize that when they enter employment that their employers will also have dress codes. A little bit of conformity and discipline isn't going to damage the students so it will probably benefit them if they are exposed to that at an earlier age instead of waiting until they are adults. They will have plenty of opportunities later in life to be a revolutionary.

If there was a religious or cultural reason for a male student to have long hair, then I would agree that the student has a legitimate grievance. However, I suspect that in this instance it is more of a situation where the student is trying to see what he can get away with. If the school administrators permit this one student to be an exception to the rules, then they will set a precedent and other students will attempt to break other rules. It's the slippery slope argument so I can understand why the administrators do not want to be lax about the rules, disrupt discipline, and disrupt the learning environment.

Thanks for the talk in any case

"We might as well let the girls wear bikinis and the boys wear Speedos to class since neither are disruptive to the learning process."

As you compared the above to donating hair to a chemo patient.




(space provided below to provide distinction lacking relevant difference...)

and how ridiculous the statement was. Not sure whether the other poster was being serious with their comment.

We were realigned into the same district for athletic competitions with them last week. Poth has a good volleyball team, but they suck at football. I think that the enrollment at the high school in Poth has about 300-350 students. It is probably quite similar to my high school with three groups--rednecks, Mexican-Americans, and a small group of heavy metal/hip-hop fans.

and then He made the School Board."

thereby negating the opportunity for a different resolution"


this basically says, "i'm a small, petty person and because i feel somehow vaguely embarrassed, i'm going to take it out on a sick child and her brother"


seriously, this statement literally says i'm not going to do what's right based on what's in the best interests of the children or principle or anything, it says i'm not even going to consider any alternative because it got turned into a public incident.

Except that was in 1972. I thought we were well beyond that.

in 1994. That high school is situated in a bass ackward podunk east Texas town. I don't think we had a dress code. Back then, short Umbro shorts were popular. Guys and girls wore them. Some kids would wear pajama pants to school. There was no rule on hair length. I had a friend with naturally curly hair. He grew it out long and dyed it jet black. I do remember the school asking us to please wear socks if we were going to wear flip flops or sandals.

My oldest son now goes to that same school. The dress code is ridiculously strict. They can't wear shorts, there are rules on guys' hair length, and lots of other prison style rules. I don't get it. I've told him I don't think I would feel comfortable trying to learn in such a strict environment. These uptight administrators need to loosen up. Jeez louise.

We grew our hair long and free because society wanted boys to have crew cuts, I think they’re called buzzes now, and girls had to look like Sandra Dee. Girls weren’t allowed to wear pants, so we did. Big bell bottom pants!

In the oh-so-highly vaulted Sidwell "Friends" School in Washington, where I was for a couple of years, they had school administrators running through the halls, delighting in telling male students their hair was too long, and they needed to get it cut. I hated that place, and that was one of the reasons.

I graduated from high school in '68 and our hair was not allowed to even
touch our ears. After graduation I didn't cut my hair for years. almost waist
length. Man, I had good hair then.
My eldest daughter had beautiful long hair and cut it for Locks for Life.

Have the State cut off funding for the district, they have the authority to do this
and there is a "process" for this type of "resolution". Hit the school with every type
of lawsuit and social action imaginable. But to really get their attention, allow parents
to send not only their students but their Property Tax payments to another district.
I realize the culture of that area may not be supportive but giving it a try is better than
just making excuses and obeying, and it may prevent such actions elsewhere.

Every statewide office is occupied with a Republican elected official and both houses of the Texas Legislature are controlled by Republicans. If I recall correctly, I think that every judge on the Texas Supreme Court is also occupied by a Republican.

In other words, it ain't going to happen.

I don't understand why anyone would care about anyone else's hairstyle or fashion choices. As long as they're clean, decently covered, and not wearing any offensive slogans or symbols, what difference does it make?

It's always enforced in discriminatory ways too. Black natural hairstyles are penalized constantly. (See the case of the young man who was told he had to cut his dreadlocks to walk in his graduation - ha, but he got to go to the Oscars as a guest of the makers of a WINNING short film that's specifically about Black hair, so he got the last laugh there.) Some groups wear their hair/beards uncut for religious reasons (Sikhs, some Native Americans, some Amish/Mennonites, etc.) The heavily-gendered nature of the rules (one gender can have long hair, another can't) is hell on trans and nonbinary kids.

It's all archaic and authoritarian.

it's really easy. that is all.