School suspends 12-year-old for having Rayhawk fever

[BIGMAN131307]

School suspends 12-year-old for having Rayhawk fever

Twelve-year-old Zachary Sharples, his father and his 4-year-old brother have had Rays Fever all season long. So with the team entering the ALCS against Boston on Friday, they all started the week by heading down to the barbershop to get Mohawks, the style preferred by many of the Rays players, fans and even manager, Joe Maddon.

Unfortunately, Sharples' school, Lincoln Middle in Palmetto, doesn't quite share the same level of passion for the Rays. Even though the mayor of Clearwater has vowed he'll get a "Rayhawk" if the team makes the World Series, the Lincoln administrators immediately gave Sharples an in-school suspension for a dress code violation.

Now this is really stupid. They should just leave the kid alone. This is just a poor attempt to iron fist ruling the school. It never works well, and just causes unnecessary problems.

[Meetz1064]

have to agree with that, BigMan. That's nuts. All he was doing was showing some school spirit..................*SIGH*

[Birdbomb]

School systems cause more disruptions over dumb stuff like this than the actual weird hair style. And it's just HAIR! If the other kids make fun and torment of him enough, he'll ditch the look on his own. I wish they make this much issue when the kids are bullys!

[skillefer]

Actually, I tend to agree with the school on this one. Some students are very easily distracted. Also, most schools have a dress code that the parents sign when they enroll their kids. So it's not like they didn't know......

[stilldancing_98]

I think it was just a way to express himself. Suspending, I think was to far. I have been thru this mess myself and talking to the child and making him go home and wash his hair would of been more appropriate.The child was happy, not hurting anybody. School needs to be fun. Something to look forward to. We all talk about celebrating.It was just a little silliness. And it was in school.

[skillefer]

....it was an "in-school" suspension...which means he sat in a different classroom and got his work delivered to him. Not really that over top. And, let's say that a 13 year old boy walked into his school dressed in all red. Would you say he was "just being silly" or would you think "possible gang member" ? If you saw a group of white boys with bald heads and black tee shirts hanging out on the corner at 7 PM, would you think "possible skin heads" or "oh look, they must have shaved their head to support a cancer patient" . We all judge on looks. And schools have the uneviable task of trying to keep an eye on lots of kids.

[brain]

GO RAYS!



Lots of Kids and Teens are into it and
showing their spirit, and my gosh! Who
can ever think of the Addy-lanta Braves?
(Atlanta Braves) they didn't suspend or
expel their students for wearing mohawks!

My son even wore Mohawks (we have Braves
fans here too) and attended School, however,
since he loves the color black - and had worn
it for years, and suddenly the School restricted
him from wearing all Black to twice a week? (Well,
not just him, but it applied to other students,
and on only certain days of the week) - they didn't
start wearing "all black" until M.I.B movie came out.
(That is Men In Black) - and sunglasses were super
cool back then too!

*groans*

Was it disruptive in class? Absolutely NOT! But the
School System seemed to think so!

AND YET - it was fine for a girl to dye her hair in pink,
aqua, blue, or any hair shades that a woman can buy
off the shelves of any store, but yet if a boy dyed their
hair outside of their hair coloring - it meant trouble?
Well - there was a revolt on that! Especially when
California Surfers became a "hottie" (Holister), and
guys were going "bleached blonds" ... la ditty dah dah.

Trends are Trends - School System needs to get back
to reality.

My gosh, if there were a Time Warp Machine - I'd be in
SERIOUS and CRITICAL trouble! Picture me wearing
clogs, hip pants with bell bottoms, halters, and choker
necklaces and headbands, and all the hippie Era works
and not to mention leather, leather, leather... Cool and
Far out dude!



Was it ever disruptive in class? D'uh no!

Were there handicap / disabled people in class? D'uh yes!

So what was the problem? Nothing!

And the issue? School System Gone Wild!
Making mountains out of molehills!
(Another waste of taxpayers money amounting to
a mound of rotten eggs)

NOW ----> on the other end, regarding other issues, like
cell phones, for example, that is understandable and needs
to be regulated.

I think the School System needs to also need to step back
in time while also stepping ahead to the future at the same
time - like the old southern adage goes, "if ain't broke, don't
be 'a'messin' wit' it!"

Conclusion of the "Editioral Post" ... by Brainy.

[stilldancing_98]

I have to agree with Brain on this one. I have been working with kids for 15 years. Kids are way more open to this then we are. We want them to be open to disabled children. Well, if we get all picky, they will to.Children learn what they live. Teresa

[Bee91]

My old school would let you have rainbow colored mohawks that were 2 feet tall, but you couldnt have any peircings other than your ears that you could barely see. They said that peircings were the distraction. My sister almost got suspended because she had an eyebrow ring, but she was wearing a clear retainer, so nobody would be able to see it. The point of the retainer was just to keep the hole from closing.

I think that is a little twisted. I think it should be the other way around, the more the tried to 'enforce' that rule, the more people wouldn't listen. And only a few people would get in trouble.

[Franciz]

Tsk tsk tsk... He shouldn't have a haircut like that. =)

[stilldancing_98]

Our schools have crazy hair day. I could do anything with my son's hair as long as I didn't have curse words in it. I have spiked colored hair. Kids love it or hate it. But that came cause of my surgery. My hair used to be long and straight. This is more fun. And it expresses who I am. That's all.