Hair Should Be Allowed In Schools

704 Words2 Pages

Megan Oakes
Ms. Wolters
English 10 H
9/16/14

Hair: A School or Personal Choice? The issue of whether hairstyles are a choice to be made by the school or by students is an issue that has been a fierce topic of debate lately. More and more people are stating that they are not opposed to hair dye, long hair, or other unique hair styles. Many youths are embracing their roots, and are starting to wear their hair in traditional ways. However, many schools are stuck in antiqued mentalites, banning students from having any color of hair that is considered “unnatural” or from having hair that is longer than a mandated length. Some schools are even going so far as to remove students for wearing their hair in ways that are customary among their religions. Hair is a form of expression and should be treated as such. Both public and private schools must allow students to wear their hair in any manner that they choose, as long as it is not disrupting students from their work. …show more content…

This means that if hair is considered a form of free speech, or expression, that it is unconstitutional to ban students from styling their hair in certain ways that make a statement. According to the famous court case, Tinker vs. Des Moines, clothing that conveys a message is considered a protected form of speech. This ruling was made in the ‘70s, when students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam war and were told that they could not wear them to school (billofrightsinstitute.org). Now, as hair dye, long hair, and traditional hair styles become more socially acceptable, they are often seen as a harmless way of making a statement. The first, second, fourth, seventh, and eighth circuit courts have all ruled that hair is a form of expression in school, striking down rules about both hair length and color.

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