Do you consider your haircut "distracting"?

SGT Ben Keen — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 15:25:54 -0400

Recently I came across this article about a kid who was trying to be like his older stepbrother who is currently serving, by getting a high-and-tight hair cut. The next day, the mother of the child was sent a letter from the school saying that the school isn't a military school and that the child's hair cut is "distracting". The mother was told to "fix" her son's haircut. Of course, this would mean shaving the kid's head clean.

As I was reading the article it got me to thinking about how I maintain my other hair. While I haven't been in the Army since 2008, I still to this day can't stand my hair getting too long. I go every other week and it cleaned up. While no one as ever accused me of having "distracting hair" I don't know how I would react if I was put in the position as the family was in this article.

School named after war hero forces child to shave off military-style haircut | Fox News

Adam Stinnett looks up to his stepbrother – a soldier in the U.S. Army. So when it came time to get a haircut, the seven-year-old told his mother he wanted a basic military-style cut. And that’s exactly what he got – high and tight – just like his stepbrother.

Response by SPC Walter Mullins made Mar 27 at 2015 4:43 PM

SPC Walter Mullins — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 16:43:35 -0400

I think that teachers should teach the other children how to ignore small distractions, being that there are going to be distractions wherever you go, and removing the "distraction" only serves to be a short term solution. How about we let all the children run around and grow up thinking they have ADHD because they were never taught how to focus with distractions when they were younger. I think it's bullshit that teachers are allowed to take away the privileges we fought for our children to have, just because they are to lazy to teach the other children how to focus with a "distraction".

Response by Sgt Cody Dumont made Mar 27 at 2015 8:51 PM

Sgt Cody Dumont — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 20:51:58 -0400

I think teachers and prinipal should go to a third world country and live the obviously got like the freedom we provide(d).

Response by A1C Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2015 8:55 PM

A1C Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 20:55:32 -0400

I think we have a big problem if schools are more worried about a kid in his situation having a haircut like his brother than how he is doing in school. If he is supportive of his brother, he is probably worried about him, that would be the real distraction. Let the kid have his hair how he wants.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Mar 27 at 2015 9:03 PM

LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 21:03:08 -0400

What kind of nareshkeit (Yiddish for BS) is this? If the school had a grooming standard, and the kid had a Mohawk Mullet, then sure.

Telling a kid he can't have a military cut??? Words escape me.

Response by SPC Walter Mullins made Oct 29 at 2015 11:41 PM

SPC Walter Mullins — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 23:41:59 -0400

Perhaps instead of removing distractions from classes, teachers should be teaching children to focus on work with distractions present. The world, as many of us grow to find out, is far from distraction free. Teaching children skills to handle open distractions sets them up with abilities for later in life when they have to face such hurdles anyway.

Response by 1SG Patrick Holmes made Apr 23 at 2018 4:29 AM

1SG Patrick Holmes — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 04:29:21 -0400

How about a Mohawk?

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Apr 23 at 2018 10:21 AM

SGM Bill Frazer — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 10:21:01 -0400

What- they let kids dye their hair, I have seen extreme "Mohawks" etc, and a high/tight is distracting? I would have a sit down with the principal outside while a class change is underway and see what is distracting.