BALCH SPRINGS, Texas (Dec. 17) -- Taylor Pugh has been suspended from pre-kindergarten because he likes his hair a little on the floppy side.

The 4-year-old sat with a teacher's aide in a suburban Dallas school library Wednesday while his friends played and studied together in a classroom.

"They kicked me out that place," said Taylor, who prefers the nickname Tater Tot. "I miss my friends."

Taylor's locks -- long on the front and sides, covering his earlobes and shirt collar -- violate the school district's dress code. He has been punished with in-school suspension since late last month.

Taylor Pugh, 4, will get a haircut eventually, his parents said, but they are frustrated that their Texas school district has punished him for his long locks.

His parents say the boy plans to eventually cut his hair and donate it to a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients. And they are not happy with the district's rules.

The school district appears "more concerned about his hair than his education," said Taylor's father, Delton Pugh. "I don't think it's right to hold a child down and force him to do something ... when it's not hurting him or affecting his education."

Pugh, a tattoo artist, said he used to shave his own head but that his son "made me pinky promise I would let my hair grow long with him."

The follicle fight came to a head last month when Taylor's parents received a signed letter from Floyd Elementary School's principal, threatening to withdraw the boy from school if his hair didn't comply with district standards.

When Taylor's parents didn't budge, their son was suspended.

When the boy returned, his hair was longer than ever. But school officials decided suspension was too harsh and changed the punishment.

"They still have regular classroom work, but in an isolated environment," Mesquite Independent School District spokesman Ian Halperin said of the modified in-school suspension that Taylor is serving. "We expect students ... to adhere to the code of conduct."

According to the district dress code, boys' hair must be kept out of the eyes and cannot extend below the bottom of earlobes or over the collar of a dress shirt. Hairstyles "designed to attract attention to the individual or to disrupt the orderly conduct of the classroom or campus (are) not permitted," the policy states.

The district is known for standing tough on its dress code. Earlier this year, a seventh-grader in the district was sent home for wearing black skinny pants. His parents chose to home-school him.

On its Web site, the district defends its code, saying "students who dress and groom themselves neatly, and in an acceptable and appropriate manner, are more likely to become constructive members of the society in which we live."

A persistent violator could face additional suspensions, but such issues are handled on a case-by-case basis, Halperin said.

Pugh said the issue is about more than hair. He said his son is being singled out, and that he has seen other male students in the district with hair much longer than Taylor's.

"Nobody wants to meet in the middle. It's all or nothing," Pugh said. "He's my son. I love him. I will back him to the end."

Source: http://www.sphere.com/nation/article/texas-school-suspends-taylor-pugh-for-long-hair/19285015?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sphere.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Ftexas-school-suspends-taylor-pugh-for-long-hair%2F19285015

Anybody else thing this is downright retarded?
This is not effecting his education at all. There's no point in suspending him or placing him in alternative classroom. The kid wants to donate it and they're trying to force him to cut it. WTH?

Ironically, schools across America are the most retarded places to be. True story.

""Ironically, schools across America are the most retarded places to be." Yes, they are indeed! I was expelled during my last year in junior high, due to a "bomb threat", but really it was because I was walking around the school holding hands and writing love letters to another girl (it was a short lived lesbian phase). I was framed I tell ya, FRAMED! :P

That is messed up!

I live and teach in Texas. I teach Pre-K, actually :) Our district has a very strict dress code, HOWEVER, HAIR LENGTH is nowhere in the dress code. Our district allows any hairstyle as long as it is not "distracting" (huge mohawks, rainbow colors, etc) This is just stupid. There is a little one in Pre-K at my school who is male and has longer hair than I do (and I have long hair). WHO CARES!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

That's ridiculous, but we have the same rules over here. It's ridiculous; the state of your hair isn't going to impact your education!

My school didn't have any rules about hair, or make up for that matter. As long as we wore our uniforms we could do whatever else we wanted with our looks. Did you go to private school?

Nope, just a regular comprehensive. I realise now that it was unusual but I thought all schools were like it when I was younger.

'follicle fight' ;D

Poor kiddo. He's trying to do something for a good cause, and look at the crap he's getting. I bet he never does anything good again. Although, maybe because he's a boy, who likes to have long hair, maybe he'll never do anything good anyways. @@ That's basically what the school is saying.

This is sad. The main focus should not be this kids hair but his education. That is what they are there for. Dress codes are important, yes, but I fail to see the reasoning behind this rule. My old high school has completely thrown out the Dress Code. I see girls in tank tops and short shorts and flip flops looking like they're having a day at the beach rather than a school day and administrators not saying one word to them. Then they wonder why they catch them having sex on campus during school hours. The boys are allowed to walk around with their pants around their knees and their boxers hanging out as well and it annoys me to no end. But a 4 year old gets in trouble for having long hair?????? This is a big WTH moment for me.

though i find this rule pretty ridiclous, i also find his parents allowing him to be secluded pretty ridiclous as well.
The school has a dress code, and the kid is in violation of it. If you dont like the rules, find a new school. BUT allowing the kid to remain in ISS at 4 years old, is helping to single him out and make him an outcast. Not likely the school will bend on the rule for this kid, so either find him a different school or cut his hair.

I think the seal belt law is stupid...if i want to risk my life by not wearing one, isnt it my life to risk? however, if i get ticketed for it, its my own fault, because i chose not to follow the law(rules)
(FYI: i always wear one anyway ;) )
point is we dont have to like the rules, but they are there for a reason. teaching a 4 year old to rebell against them is shitty parenting IMO!

WSS

this is absolutely ridiculous. i agree that they're more worried about his hair than his education. if my kid was suspended because of his or her hair length, i'd try and locate another school for them.

It's absurd that a school system wants to punish a 4 year old for liking his hair long! What right do they have to say how a kid can or can't wear their hair?!

"Hairstyles "designed to attract attention to the individual or to disrupt the orderly conduct of the classroom or campus (are) not permitted," the policy states."

That was in the policy at my HIGH SCHOOL and what it meant was that you couldn't come in with blue and green hair or striped mohawks. Not that a kid can't enjoy his hair long. 8-|

The thing that gets me, is this "in school suspension" thing.
In my private school (seventh grade, mind you) I got ISS' all. the. flipping. time.

And I mean like three/four times a week. (I apparently did everything wrong. Which is why I was only at the school one semester.)
We did NOT do schoolwork in ISS. Which is why I failed all seven classes that semester. (Which is why I didn't go there any longer ;))

The principal made us sit in the cafeteria area. To "do our homework."
Since I rarely went to classes because of ISS, I obviously had no homework. So I sat there and wrote stories all day.

I can't possibly believe that kid is benefiting AT ALL from ISS. I feel so bad for him :(

I agree though. Have you ever watched boys flip their hair out of their eyes constantly? It's so annoying! If his hair is in his face, he needs to pull it back. End of story. Yes, they're very extreme on how they handled it. I would've called the parents in, explained the situation and if nothing was taken care of, then you suspend or whatever.

Yes it is annoying, but its what he wants. He wants it long so he can donate it. I think the suspension and whatnot was pretty extreme. Yea, it was against the policy to have purple obnoxious hair that would probably distract people, but just b/c its long? And what about the girls? Do they have to keep their hair buzzed too? I think its ridiculous?

I went to an extremely strict elementary/middle school. If your bangs were in your eyes, they'd give you a headband, boy or girl. They'd also take rope and tie your pants up if they sagged, and make you wash off any makeup that wasn't tasteful. Imagine growing up in the era of the Spice Girls and not be allowed to wear glitter! Like I said, it was extreme, but you'd be surprised how parents end up talking. If he had long hair, another mom would wonder why her son can't have a mohawk and then another mom will think both the mohawk and long hair is an abomination and then a second mom would agree and ask every child to follow a hair dress code... it goes on. Believe me, I volunteered in a middle school and those were the kind of remarks I'd hear all day. One mom called and said she saw two kids hug at the bus stop and she was angry because her son was given detention for smacking his friend on the back in a friendly way, so why aren't those kids getting detention? Oh man... I'd never want to be a school principal unless I get to smack parents. :)

Haha I don't blame you for that lol.

I went to a relatively strict middle school too. I got in trouble all the time for my shorts. They had to be 3 inches from the crotch, which is rly hard to find for girls when you're short. Lol. I've seen people have to wear ropes as belts too. But I don't think I'll understand the hair thing. My bangs are cut to where they stay in my eyes, if I like it or not. I'd be pretty ticked if I got suspended for them.

I guess you'd just have to count on the parents to have some kind of common sense and not let their kid have this huge hot pink mohawk, although I think thats asking too much anymore. But looking at the kids pictures, I don't see the problem.

What the kid wants is not the issue. YES, he wants his hair long so he can donate it, and that's great, however it violates the school's dress code policy for young boys. If you don't like the dress code policy take your kid out of the damn school or just abide by the rules, it's simple.

"If you don't like the dress code policy take your kid out of the damn school or just abide by the rules, it's simple."

I agree with that, but this is not affecting his education or anything. I mean, he's 4 years old and in preschool. How much of a disruption can he make?

I don't understand why schools waste their time on things such as hairstyles. If schools would spend more time on education, and less time on eye-balling, maybe the drop-out rate would decrease. Everyone is different. I'm willing to bet that the only person distracted in that kid's class was his teacher. Yes, in life their are rules to be followed, but more often then not, those rules are enforced more strictly to certain groups of people. I wonder if there is a rule in that school prohibiting girls from having short hair. I am sure there isn't

Well the thing is it doesn't matter if it affects his education or another students education. I think it's stupid that the school cares so much about a kids hairstyle, however... it's about following the rules. It's okay for him to wear his hair long because his parents think it's a 'silly rule?' Teach him that he can break rules that he thinks aren't necessary or just silly? The rules of the school are that boys are not allowed to have long hair, so he needs to cut his hair...just like the rest of the boys at the school.

When you're in Pre-K -12 school you have to follow rules. Don't wear short shorts. Don't wear a spaghetti strap. Don't come to school with pink hair. All rules that you have to follow. Even some adult jobs have specific dress codes too. I have a friend who is a driver for UPS and he's not allowed to have a beard, AT ALL. It's just a rule you have to follow. If he didn't like it and he wanted to have a beard he would have to seek another job. The same thing applies here, doesn't matter how useless the rule/dress code is you just have to abide by it.

I think school dress codes do more harm then good at times. Obviously some rules are necessary--no short shorts or belly shirts, no overly exposed body parts, or no clothing with drug/alcohol references, etc. But once it extends to hairstyles and beyond, I think it's ridiculous. All it does is piss off the students and make them want to push it however they can. I think more 'distraction' comes from kids complaining/rebelling against dress codes than from long hair or Mohawks, at least that has been my experience in school. I remember in middle school our principal decided that girls couldn't wear dresses with thin straps to our formal dance. We all had a really really fun time trying to find dresses WITHOUT thin straps...he even suggested that if we'd already bought our dress, to just have some fabric sewed on to make the straps wider Because we all have a Suzy Homemaker as a mother, right? Anyway I think this 'rule' about long hair really just shows that the people running this school don't think it's acceptable for boys to have long hair. Hooray for gender norms. And what good does it do punishing a four year old for this? It's not like he can just go and get his hair cut on his own if his parent's aren't forcing him to. Go Texas.

Surely cutting his hair though would cause much more of a distraction? He would be constantly feeling for it, he would be upset as he was doing it for charity, reguardless of age, children know when they are doing something important. Why couldnt the child be allowed to tie it back? Surely that is a simple solution. It's like my work has some silly rules, men aren't allowed facial hair unless its already a beard. So basically you have to grow a beard over night! Not gonna happen! Hair colour, I am forever dying mine red and it looks fairly natural. If I were to bleach it, I could get suspended. It doesn't matter that I wear a hat as I am working with food, I would be suspended. I can have pretty much whatever style I want, just not whatever colour. I do feel for the parents as what you look like, has nothing to do with what you will be when you are older. As long as you wear your smart uniform to school and work, who cares about the rest, of course you have to be presentable but that comes without saying! I have 2 tattoos and 9 piercings that doesnt make me a hooligan or a rebel. It makes me, me! I hope this child when he is older realises that he can be who he wants to and he doesnt have to conform to every rule going. I don't but I will talk about them, try and come to a comprimise rather than let them win.