Hannah Adams, Middle School Student, Suspended For Red Hair (VIDEO)

Hannah Adams, a 13-year-old student at Riverside Middle School in Greer, S.C., received a week of in-school suspension for coming to class with her hair dyed partially red, FOX Carolina reports.

According to the station, Adams and her friend dyed their hair at the beginning of spring break, but returning with their altered locks violated school policy.

"The middle school's dress code policy states: "Clothing and/or hair should not disrupt the educational process... Non-human hair color is not permitted."

While Adams' mother believes the punishment and possible noting of the incident on her daughter's permanent record are overkill, the Greenville County School District maintains, "rules are rules."

In January, 17-year-old J.T. Gaskins went up against his school's dress code after deciding to grow his hair out for Locks of Love in honor of a family friend who was diagnosed with cancer.

Officials at Madison Academy, where Gaskins attends, ruled that the boy's long locks violated school policy and warrant out-of-school suspension, despite being for a good cause. Even after the punishment was handed down, Gaskin refused to stop growing out his hair for the organization.

Last year, Marshall Junior High student Sheldon Williams was upset after his teacher used a Sharpie pen to fix his hair -- claiming it violated the dress code.

"She said we're not supposed to have two parts, we can only have one," Williams told KSLA TV. "I was kind of mad cause I don't want no sharpie marker in my hair."

According to the station, the school's principal claimed that's how similar violations have been dealt with in the past, but laments not contacting Williams' parents.

WATCH:

Comments

[Karry Lawson]

06:44 PM on 10/10/2012

Wait, since when is red a "non-human hair color"?

The gingers are going to be pissed.

[sanfran55]

06:48 AM on 04/19/2012

Wow - I was expecting to see neon-red Bozo the Clown hair - and didn't.

The school was way over the top on this one. I give the principal a "F" grade for this subject.

[Kris27G]

03:12 PM on 04/18/2012

Forever glad I went to school in Las Vegas. Other than headbands and bandanas, the administration did not care. Non natural colors, piercings, etc - non issue. Senior year had a friend show up in drag so good he passed for a chick, even his teachers(except our drama teacher) didn't immediately recognize him. No one said ANYTHING.

[cleylol]

10:48 PM on 04/16/2012

'Non-human haircolor'?...I thought being a Ginger was a real thing. I guess they all just dye their hair.

[CANDYBAR11]

07:44 PM on 04/16/2012

I live in SC, If anyone looks where SC is compared to other States in education, they will see they don't care about teaching kids. It is about controlling anyone that shows individuality. they want them to be all alike. If you are an independent you are more likely to disagree with their teachings.

[WinoGirl]

07:20 PM on 04/16/2012

"Non-human" hair color? Was it electric blue? Emerald green? Eggplant? Hot pink? It was red, for pete's sake. I think all the people with red hair should complain to the school. I mean, seriously, aren't gingers discriminated against enough in this society? For a school to say their red hair isn't "human?" Rise up, gingers, rise up and reclaim your humanity!

(hahahahaha)

[typographa]

07:08 PM on 04/16/2012

I went to one of these private schools which had one of the stricktest uniform policies — right down to the color of your socks, your hair band, what bag you could carry, the height of your heels, the length of your skirt and sleeves. Everyone was expected to dress exactly the same. Never mind dying our hair a "human" color; the dress code explicitly stated only your "natural" color was allowed. Jewelry of any kind was banned. While it does create a sense of equality among the students, it stifled any individuality.

The worst part was when students were lined up in assembly every morning, and teachers would go around and spend several minutes inspecting each girl for uniform violations. Offenders where whisked away and any makeup was removed, forbidden items confiscated, and replacements were available for any clothing which didn't fit into the uniform.

In retrospect, all I can think of is how much time, energy and resources were wasted enforcing this dress code. If teachers had spent as much time checking our spelling, arithmetic and understanding of the material as they did analyzing our adherence to the uniforms, the students would have probably been much better off.

[cleylol]

10:49 PM on 04/16/2012

That's insane. Glad you made it out with your sanity intact

[sanfran55]

06:41 AM on 04/19/2012

@typo- I agree with you; these type of severe rules stifle creativity and being an individual.

[macemoneta]

05:00 PM on 04/16/2012

"permanent record"

LOL

[Marioam]

04:52 PM on 04/16/2012

Schools in this country are getting out of hand with dictating what a student can or cannot do with the scope of the everyday lives. These are not governing policies of intelligence but storm tropper tatics to make the students of today in youth controlled groups much like the Nazis did in Germany. This is narrowminded, riddculus and needs to be addressed in all the schools throughout the country. If the girl was mine we would be fighting this with everything we have.

[CajunSpectre]

04:43 PM on 04/16/2012

Is this what the education system in this country has become with more concern about how a student's hair looks and little or no emphasis on actually teaching the child.

[neuromantic]

04:57 PM on 04/16/2012

In my experience, most professional educators are able to deal with students who express their own ideas, preferences, and thoughts. Sadly, a teacher who doesn't follow the "rules" can get canned, even if those "rules" deny basic freedoms and the professional judgment of the teacher. If your school board and administration are the sort of people who think it's a good idea to try to dictate the minutiae of student behavior and even thoughts, I suggest voting them out of office. Good luck!

[CajunSpectre]

08:56 PM on 04/16/2012

Thanks.