A young Cincinnati Bengals fan has been suspended from his school for his unique haircut.
Dustin Reader, 14 was suspended for getting a haircut shaped like a Bengals helmet.
The teenager told News 5’s Karin Johnson that he got the helmet shaved into his hair because he’s a huge fan of the football team.
Reader has been suspended from school because officials at Garfield Middle School in Ohio say that his hairstyle is “too distracting.”
“He’s had designs on his head before, and no one said anything,” Dustin’s mother, Tiny Wanamaker, told the newspaper.
His father, James Reader, was quoted in the article as saying: “This is a way for him to express pride in the Bengals putting up a winning season. It’s not racist, not drug-related, not gang-related or anything like that. It’s about football.”
School officials say he will be allowed back into school when his hair grows back, or when he changes his hairstyle.
What do you think?
Do you think the school was right in suspending the young fan or were they out of bounds?
Young Bengals Fan Suspended From School For Haircut - AP
Leave this kid alone and let him back in school. Spend more time on the gangs,drug dealers and trouble makers. I am not a Bengals fan but he has every right to express himself. Do you suspend the kids that wear gang related clothing?
Give me a break. This was harmless.
what a pity that the haircut is more important
than this kids education. get him back in school.
to much p.c.
I agree with Billie, leave the boy alone and let him get his education. The schools and police should focus on the real problem of drugs, gangs and trouble makers that are the problems in the schools today. There are more important issues in the schools that need to be addressed than a supportive fan’s haircut.
Really? Really? Seriously????
There goes another right taken away…
I feel the saame let the kid alone. It will probably be distracting at first but the novelty wil wear off. The schools need to spend more time to stop the bullying going on our schools across America. Is the hair cut going to beat dsomeone up? Lets focus on the real problems on our school systems not a HAIR CUT!!!!!
I believe this is rediculous, this boy has done nothing wrong but get a haircut. What about the students who wear almost nothing to school or the boy who may as well not even have pants on because they are dragging around the thighs and thats with a belt. Get it together people!!!
This is just another example of how much power the schools have over your children. Think what it will be like in another 20 to 30 years. Kids are told to grow up and given more and more to learn every year with less rights given more and more every year. Yet they wonder why the drop out and home school percentages are so high.
Are you serious? The article did not say anything about the student being a behavior problem or promoting unhealthy ideas into the minds of his peers. If this is the worst he does then so be it!!
–Middle School Teacher
With all the other inappropriate activities our kids are involved in today, this is light stuff. At least he didn’t kill anyone or set someone on fire. Give the kid a break…he’s into his football team…so what!
Give me a Break. The school should be proud that this kid is into sports and not other things. The school should be focusing on kids that are into dealing drugs, gangs and bullying.
And most of all dealing with the education of their students.
I understand the school having to be careful, but come on…give me a break! Lay off and let the kid get his education.
Please…If that school district does not suspend students with colored hair, spiked hair, (hey, let’s even go so far as to say) girls with short hair, or guys whose hair is too long, then they have made an error with the bengal’s hair student. If I was one of his parents, I’d press the situation and demand a public apology. Being PC has gone too far.
I think the haircut looks ridiculous and stupid – there are better ways to support your favorite team. But I certainly don’t think it is cause for suspension!
OMG.. what is wrong with the educational system nowadays.Why don’t you spend your time focusing on more important things like drugs and trouble makers. Why don’t the educators do what they’re paid to do and that is TEACH!!
Paging the ACLU…. This will be overturned and the kid will be back in school next week, I’m sure.
This seems harmless enough, but I’ll bet theres more to this story than we are reading. The media seems to only give the information to sway you one way or another.
I guess this school has such high testing scores that they do not worry about the small stuff like EDUCATION they only worry about important things like this boys hair cut! They must not have drugs,gangs, bullys or other thing that most other Middle schools have!! LUCKY THEM!! I want my child to go there!!!
i wonder if he had shaved the schools team logo on his head if it would have met the same results…probly not it would have been considerd school spirit..the kid has pride in his team good for him.with schools promoting slogans such as find your anti drug it seems silly what happend this kid found his and they suspend him for it.its time for administators to wake up and do something about the real problems in our schools and leave kids like this alone.if it is distracting people its because they arent focusd on thier work anyway.let him be and get his education.
To Joy,
how can you say the haircut looks ridiculous and stupid. define stupid and ridiculous, (the school system’ s being stupid and ridiculous) look around you closely, and notice the other kids, the way they present themselves, the way they dress up, the way they act.I am not a fan of anything, but the jid was not violating anything, by having that style of a haircut. have you seen old men, (really old men, sporting earrings and long pony tails?)now that’s stupid and ridiculous. but you’re right for one thing, school should not have suspended the kid.if I was the kids parents I will make the school apologize publicly and focus on the problems at school as a whole, not just one particular kid.
This is another case of schools going to far with “zero tolerance” policies. The pathetic part is that it’s just making the schools administrators and staff look worse. Parents need to take control back. Teachers strike, so maybe parents and students should to make it clear to the school board they are going to far.
As far as being “distracting”, come on Mr. Principal, look at the clothes your kids are wearing especially the young girls! How about the kids with dye in their hair or their boobs or stomach hanging out. Cut us a break! I’ve even seen teachers who come dressed inappropriately and the male students are so distracted because they look so “hot”. I agree there must me more to this story, but regardless it’s petty. I hope the family sues the school district.
A distraction? The school made it a much bigger distraction by suspending the kid. He wouldn’t get a second look by the end of the week if they would have left him alone.
Go Steelers!
does the princable not have any thing better to focus on this is ridiculous and a waist of this boys time and education
I guess the principal didn’t have any thing better to do that day.
Come on. I remeber not to long ago when I was in highschool. Things like this went on all the time. The students never got suspended or even sent home with a letter from the school. Leave the kid alone. He did nothing wrong. Our scholls need to be more concerend with high drop out rates,drugs in school,sex in schools, ect..
Let the boy back in school. The school just made it a issue. The school has overstepped itself.
I bet the kids think some of the teachers and princple hair is distracting.
what happened to the 1st ammendment? what happened to tolerance. this is a case of “little people” with power. fascist.
Why is it such a crime nowadays for kids to visually express themselves? As long as it does not offend anyone racially or sexually, then what’s the problem?I got through public high school with fire engine RED and sun YELLOW Hair!!! And I still did VERY well in school…even made leads in plays and musicals teachers simply said… “eh.. we’ll work around the hair”
I work in a school and have for 6 years. It really is sad that our schools are being run today by people who would rather fight the little things that dont amount to a hill of beans. It happenes everyday, i know because of my job. These guys need to rethink what is important,and what is just plain stupid!!!!! This is stupid put the kid back in class and let him get an education. The only thing he is learning right now is that we live in a world that judges you on how you look, how sad.
really???? are you kiding me? that is a stupid reason to suspend someone. A HAIRCUT. refreakindiculous.
Isnt this FREEDOM of expression?? WOW! We need to be able to teach our kids that its ok to express yourself in a good clean manner and then he gets suspended! Sad! Those schhol officials are idiots!
I agree whole heartedly……Leave the kid alone…
My daughter was kicked out of school…..When she stood up…her belly button showed…(the shirt was faster at going up…than she was as pulling it down)….I even went to the school and asked “What gives”
Was told the reason….Funny thing was…that I was escorted into the Deans office…By a Cheerleader…with a skirt so short…that I saw her uniform panties…..When I called the Dean on thaqt one…..Was told that was alright…if was for School Spirit….But my daughters belly button was a distraction…..
Boy did that one take me back to the 70′s…..anyone else remember Cher….and the problems that her little belly button caused on the air…hehehe
I sat let the kid back in to school……and stick to the real problem kids…..(I mean if he really caused that much distraction in class…they could have just put him in the last row….So no one could look at him….During class that is.
LOL! Laughing at myself and my above comment for typing so fast I typed SCHHOL officials.. insttead of SCHOOL… who’s the idiot??! LOL Oh well. i dont mind laughing at myself!!
‘
Absurd. School officials have become lazy — when in doubt suspend. Suspend the officials who imposed this ridiculous punishment for a non-offence.
OH PLEASE,,,,, SO IF A NEW PRETTY GIRL WAS A DISTRACTION SHOULD SHE BE SENT HOME UNTIL SHE TURNS UGLY…..WHILE THIS KID IS HOME FOR NO REASON THERE ARE PROABLY BULLYS AND DRUG DEALERS ROAMING THE HALLS….
I read stories like this and I am left speachless. It’s pathetic that people, kids especially, aren’t allowed to be individuals. They can’t be themselves these days without worrying about “not offending” anyone by what they wear or do or say. What happened to freedom of speech. Am I wrong or isn’t it still our FIRST Amendment right? C’mon administrators. Focus on what is truly important and the kids will do the same. IT’S EDUCATION!
If this was a black student it would not have gone as far as a suspension. This is just another attack on white americans!
This is ridiculous, it is a hair cut!! come on, his education is more important.. Put him back in class. Get a life and leave him alone.
This is ridiculous. Leave the kid alone. So few now show pride in anything. It not an attack on white americans!!!!!
Mr. & Mrs. Reader: I would suggest you stand outside of the school property in the morning with your digital camera and take pics of the kids as they enter the school. I bet you would come up with some really distracting not to mention interesting hair styles/cuts. We won’t talk about the boys wearing their pants so low you see their boxers, or the girls who have less secrets than Victoria. To the prinipal & other school officials: PLEASE!! get a clue, concentrate on what is important here, the students education. Haircuts and styles are the least of your problems. Leave Dustin alone, allow him his education and go after the “bad kids”.
I don’t get it. Seems that School Officials would have more important things to worry about then this haircut. One also has to wonder if these School Officials ever took a Civics Class and if so did they get a passing grade? While I wouldn’t cut my hair that way, being a Sea Chickens (Hawks) fan, I surly wouldn’t hold it against someone for expressing themselves in that manner.
Are School Officials so tied up in absolute control these days that they’ve forgotten their real objective?
As an employee in the public school system, I am bothered by this. I see nothing wrong with this student doing this to his hair. It is nothing vulgar, offensive or in poor taste. It sounds to me like the powers that be, are making a big deal out of nothing and maybe need to reevaluate their priorities.
Jackdaddy: Boy, that was a racist comment if I ever heard one. You do know that is different. All those slicked down, braided (and other) styles are normal for the race. If Dustin had gone to school with dreads, cornrolls or any other ethnic style, he would have been suspended for that to because it would have been a distraction. But still, in the end, he should have not been suspended.
I believe that this student’s so-call race has a lot do with the suspension because he appears to copied a minortiy group hair style which is taboo for racists administrators!
This young man is learning–that a position of authority can be used to punish anyone at will. I hope he sees beyond that.
Paula
Much like the school administrators, it seems some people have allowwed themselves to be distracted by things that are minor. Please leave the racist commentary out of an obvious mis-guided attempt of local educators (maybe/probably an opposing fan themselves) to exercise the “letter” of the rule instead of using common sense to uphold the “spirit” of the school policy.