[bakesgirls]

Just interested in others thoughts on this. Do you think it's fair that this boy has to cut of his rat's tail or have detention everyday?

I personally think his mother enrolled him knowing the schools policy on 'extreme' hairstyles, so it shouldn't have come as a shock that he isn't allowed to keep his rat's tail if he wishes to remain at the school.

Do you think he has the right to keep it? Do you think (as his mother has said) that if girls can have long hair, then so can boys?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/year-...6-1226526115951

[Sunnycat]

Rules are rules, so I think it is fair in that regard.

However, I think it's ridiculous that schools dictate to children how they should wear their hair and I do think if boys want to grow their hair they should be permitted to without consequence the same as girls. Imagine the outrage if a girl child was given detention because she had cut her hair short and the rule was girls must have long hair.

People need to get over giving a sh*t about other people's hair styles.

[Jemstar]

If they enrolled at the school knowing full well the policy then they should abide by it.

Generally though, I think policy re hairstyles for kids in schools is stupid and highly irrelevant to educational outcomes.

[akkiandmalli]

its a pretty clear policy. he is not following it. he suffers the consequences. no brainer from me

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

So it's a state school?

I don't think it's fair at all. It's a state school. Surely that would be discrimination?

[HezzaB]

Imho a rats tail is different to a full head ponytail. A rats tail on a girl would also be "extreme" so I don't think she can play the gender card

[Old Grey Mare]

its a pretty clear policy. he is not following it. he suffers the consequences. no brainer from me

What she said....

[Jane Jetson]

If it was up to me everyone in the country would get detention until they chop those stupid things off

In all honesty though, I can't see what's so wrong about being expected to adhere to a school uniform. And I don't think it's as clear-cut as demanding that girls have long hair (or boys short), it's no different to mohawks being banned when I was at high school.

[SeaPrincess]

Imagine the outrage if a girl child was given detention because she had cut her hair short and the rule was girls must have long hair.

Girls at my school did get sent home if their hair was what they deemed "inappropriate". But parents knew that when they enrolled them, as did this child's mother. Not newsworthy IMO.

[countrymel]

This is rather embarrassing to admit but back in 1984 I had a rat tail.

I came back from the school holidays with it and it went un-noticed for a week or so as I tied a ribbon at the top (in school approved colours) and because of the extreme curliness of my hair it looked like a big fat ringlet.

It was only after visiting my big sister in hospital where she had plaited it into 5 tiny plaits and tied five tiny ribbons on each (in school approved colours) that it caught the attention of the staff.

A letter was dispatched to my home and even though Mum hadn't signed a specific 'no rat tail' clause as this boy's mother HAD done she just read it and said "Oh well, off it comes darling!" and that was it.

This child's mother is a twit.