A southern Missouri school district recently suspended 12-year-old Amelia Robbins for dyeing her hair pink. The student, from Mountain Grove Middle School, dyed her hair to pay respect to her father who died of cancer when she was 6 years old.
"I find that the color pink is the cancer color, and he died of cancer," said Robbins.
The school handbook states that administrators have the authority to decide whether a student is causing a distraction, and apparently pink hair met the criteria. After being given one warning after her sixth grade year, Robbins, with the consent of her mother, showed up after summer break still sporting the pink hair.
School administrators then informed Robbins that she was suspended until the pink hair was removed.
It seems like ever since the Columbine High School tragedy of 1999, public school systems across the country have been adamant about enforcing strict regulations with no questions asked. This particular case is one of many instances in which the "no tolerance" way of thinking is being used instead of a more open minded approach.
It's wrong to suspend a student without first taking into account personal life. Robbins' intentions were entirely good natured; she made good grades, had no prior record of misconduct, and came across as a very sweet girl in her interview.
However, because the public schools have become so rigid, a seemingly good student must face the harsh consequences of a system hell bent on remaining inside the box. So what should we make of these policies governing the youths of America? Are school systems now advocating conformity? Robbins referred to her school's decision as hypocritical, saying "They constantly tell us to be different, don't follow the crowd."
Let's face it. This decision has nothing to do with distraction. To me, it all comes down to what has become accepted as the norm in certain communities. If Robbins were enrolled in a middle school in Midtown Atlanta, would she still have been suspended? It's impossible to be sure, but my guess is leaning toward no. The community, in a way, pulls the strings. If little Johnny comes home enough times and tells mommy about the strange girl with the pink hair in class, eventually overzealous moms and dads become more vocal in the decisions that are made.
In Robbins' case, it seems community standards were not accepting of pink hair in middle school. The school district refused to comment on the situation.
One side of me wants to attack the establishment for discouraging self expression and noble cause. At the end of the day, does pink hair really cause a distraction? It may cause a few turns of the head, but nothing that would justify a major stir. It's good that we have people like Amelia Robbins who are willing to stand up to the "ask no questions" approach that more and more public schools are adopting. Without people like her, rigid policy would never change.
The other side of me wants to attack Robbins' mother for encouraging her daughter's decision. The rules were made clear, and Robbins' mother should have known not to test the patience of the school administrators. A 12-year-old doesn't deserve to be caught up in a controversy, especially when it's affecting her attendance and success at school. One thing that can be said, though, is that Amelia Robbins' actions will shake things up. For more information on Mountain Grove Middle School, visit www.mgr3.k12.mo.us/ms/.
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