School can't bar 14 year old girl over nose piercing, on the basis of religion

[Fire Daemon]

Doesn't matter since a lot of schools are taking Dodge Ball out of PE since someone might get hurt. And tag out of recess because it might make someone feel bad when they get "it".

Also in response to the hair color thing, I have spoken to some school officials who have instituted hair policies in the dress code, and it comes from preparing students to enter the professional world. I can't tell you how many jobs wouldn't take me back when I had blue hair that went past my shoulders and facial piercings (and I'm not talking about jobs that require college degrees).
All in all, unless you're working in "counter-culture" shops or Hot Topic there aren't many jobs that do allow non-natural hair colors.

I've heard about things like that happening, but thankfully here in Australia we aren't quite so... protective in regards to sports and games so we still get to play dodge ball and tag or whatever. She should still take them out when playing whatever watered down sport you play in American schools, just in case.

I understand the point of wanting to teach kids that styles of hair, makeup, piercings etc will hurt your job opportunities and hell, for some this will be some of the most helpful education in getting a job, but the school went about this the wrong way. Not only did they list abnormal hair colours and piercings as a distraction (indicating that it impedes other students rather than the person in question) when they could have just said that it would impede future employment, and rather than trying to explain their reasoning it would appear that they just suspended the student (which doesn't really help anything) and as a result allowed her to think that she can get away with stuff like this in the future. If the principal, or whoever was responsible for this mess, didn't feel insecure around dyed hair and only put the dress code up to help people find jobs I think that they would have gone about this in a different way such as just explaining their reasoning to the parents and not suspending the student.

 

[Ftaghn To You Too]

Individualist bullshit.

Feel kinda sorry for you.


This is awesome. The more these idiotic rules are washed away, the better we'll be. It's the right of the person to decide how they look, not the school.

 

[kwagamon]

it doesn't really sound bad to me, i would rather have strict school rules, than none. why? because i do not want to be bullied, harassed, or harmed in any way. as for the rules...

I'd rather there be a medium amount of rules, because no matter what rules there are, people are going to break them. My school had incredibly strict rules about fighting, and yet there was pretty much one or more fight every single week. Rules about bullying/harassment? Sure, they were there. As a nerd I was bullied and harassed all the damn time.

Also, the more strict a rule is, the more likely it is to be misinterpreted or abused on one end or the other. I literally got suspended for taking a crap for a long time, because it technically constituted skipping class.

That strict rule about fighting I mentioned my school had? You weren't allowed to raise a hand against someone, even in self defense. You only got a slightly reduced punishment for not being the aggressor. A friend of mine once had another kid throw milk in his face (don't worry about why, it wasn't provoked or anything). My friend, being bigger and stronger than the other kid, naturally decided it was fair to punch him in the face. They suspended him for 3 days, with 3 more days of in-school-suspension afterwards.

 

[Blair Bennett]

Wait...there's an entire religion devoting to bodily modification?

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

*snip*

Distractions, perhaps not in the sense that you find. However, the distractions are kids who lord it over others on their hairstyles "My mom and dad let me do this" or their piercings/tattoos. That can cause "fights" and other distractions. But thats my opinion.
I never say people shouldn't be allowed to express themselves but I think kids have other things to worry about than "I can't color my hair pink."

 

[Ftaghn To You Too]

Feel kinda sorry for you.

This is awesome. The more these idiotic rules are washed away, the better we'll be. It's the right of the person to decide how they look, not the school.

Horseshit. That may be the case at a public school, especially one of those intolerably smug ones, but at a private school with tradition and respect, fuck that. This individualistic nonsense is such a philosophical pollutant; humans work in groups, they should conform to their tribe, that is the way society should be.

I'm sorry if you've never been a part of something greater, but trust me, the loss of superfluous crap as a student only serves to create a stronger and, ironically, more individual adult. To hone one's skills in self-sufficency helps one to see the absolute garbage being spewed by libertarian idiots.

This is flying to flamewar territory.
Shall we stop this before we both get banned?

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Feel kinda sorry for you.

This is awesome. The more these idiotic rules are washed away, the better we'll be. It's the right of the person to decide how they look, not the school.

Horseshit. That may be the case at a public school, especially one of those intolerably smug ones, but at a private school with tradition and respect, fuck that. This individualistic nonsense is such a philosophical pollutant; humans work in groups, they should conform to their tribe, that is the way society should be.

I'm sorry if you've never been a part of something greater, but trust me, the loss of superfluous crap as a student only serves to create a stronger and, ironically, more individual adult. To hone one's skills in self-sufficency helps one to see the absolute garbage being spewed by libertarian idiots.

Agreed, individualism does not stem from hair color or how many piercings/tattoos you have. Outward appearances do not make you who you are, nor do they make statements worth a damn. It is what you do with your time and your life that makes you stand out. Otherwise you're conforming either way and thus still just a brainwashed sheep.

 

[Ftaghn To You Too]

EDIT: Double post, disregard.

 

[kwagamon]

Horseshit. That may be the case at a public school, especially one of those intolerably smug ones, but at a private school with tradition and respect, fuck that. This individualistic nonsense is such a philosophical pollutant; humans work in groups, they should conform to their tribe, that is the way society should be.

I'm sorry if you've never been a part of something greater, but trust me, the loss of superfluous crap as a student only serves to create a stronger and, ironically, more individual adult. To hone one's skills in self-sufficency helps one to see the absolute garbage being spewed by libertarian idiots.

Suppressing religion is how Holocausts happen. Not even a private school should be allowed to say you can't do something if your religion requires it. I will admit that if your school is trying to get you to ditch your religion, you should probably ditch them, but that's another matter.

As for conforming, it creates idiots. Every person I've ever met with a brain in the skull, with the exception of maybe three people, was not someone who just tried to fit in. Having friends creates a strong individual. Acting exactly like those friends creates the living equivalent of a zombie.

 

[C95J]

why are schools the only place IN THE WORLD where piercings are banned for NO REASON. This is like this for a lot of other things as well! It doesn't effect anything, why don't schools give their pupils ANY INDEPENDENCE.

 

[tofulove]

i belong to a minor religion called, i can do what ever i want. in my religion i can do what ever i want in the glory of my god, mr. i can break the rules and get away with it. a victory for religious freedom, more like a victory for any jack ass who wants to make a cult and do what ever they want, im sure there is some real fringe cults who think eating babies is a holy thing to do, lets see them defend that one in court.

end of the day, way i see it, some teen wants attention, and used some minor religion to get her way,

 

[Strixandstones]

In my last year of school I was pulled to one side by our head of year and told I had to shave my (rather pathetic) beard, and that such facial hair was unacceptable. At the time, there happened to be a Sikh student passing me wearing his turban and, of course, flaunting an impressive beard. I glanced in his direction but the teacher didn't notice, or if he did, he paid no attention.

My point is this; what difference does it make? If the institution believes so vehemently that students should be shaved/ unpierced then the personal beliefs of the student should make no difference. It shows how shallow these rules are, and how freedom of expression has to hide behind something the school dares not risk upsetting. Why is one system of belief valued over another? Why must my chin be cold? One rule for all, either way.

 

[tofulove]

In my last year of school I was pulled to one side by our head of year and told I had to shave my (rather pathetic) beard, and that such facial hair was unacceptable. At the time, there happened to be a Sikh student passing me wearing his turban and, of course, flaunting an impressive beard. I glanced in his direction but the teacher didn't notice, or if he did, he paid no attention.

My point is this; what difference does it make? If the institution believes so vehemently that students should be shaved/ unpierced then the personal beliefs of the student should make no difference. It shows how shallow these rules are, and how freedom of expression has to hide behind something the school dares not risk upsetting. Why is one system of belief valued over another? Why must my chin be cold? One rule for all, either way.

i agree, ether every one is allowed to be pieced and sport a bad ass beard, or no one can, religious freedom be dam. so you want to let a girl pierce her self on the biases of religious freedom, than every one gets to.