Parma, Ohio — A kindergarten student with a freshly spiked Mohawk has been suspended from school.
Michelle Barile, the mother of 6-year-old Bryan Ruda, said nothing in the Parma Community School handbook prohibits the haircut, characterized by closely shaved sides with a strip of prominent hair on top. The school said the hair was a distraction for other students.
Peggy Turbett/The Plain Dealer | ||
| Bryan Ruda's mother says she'll enroll him at another school rather than comply. | ||
|
"I understand they have a dress code. I understand he has a uniform. But this is total discrimination," she said. "They can't tell me how I can cut his hair."
An administrator at the suburban Cleveland charter school first warned Barile last fall that the haircut wasn't acceptable. The school later sent another warning to her repeating the ban.
Mohawks violate the school's policy on being properly groomed, school Principal Linda Geyer said. Also, the school district's dress code allows school officials to forbid anything that interferes with the conduct of education.
Bryan's hair became a disruption last week when Bryan arrived freshly shorn, Geyer said. Administrators called Barile on Friday telling her to pick Bryan up from school.
"This was his third infraction," Geyer said Tuesday. "We felt that we were being extremely patient."
Rather than request a hearing to appeal the suspension, Barile said she'll enroll Bryan at another school. Changing the hairstyle is not an option, she said.
"It's something that he really likes," Barile said. "When people hear Mohawk, they think it's long, it's spiked, it's crazy-looking, and it's really not."

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Comments
By michael
Jan 12, 2009 7:58 PM | Link to this
I am a high school student at lafayette jefferson high school havign a mohawk is fun and ive had my pricible and techers say they would have one if the had more hair mohawk people tink of steio type that cuase troble when you have a mohawk it just cuase you like it if kid cant have a mohawk then they shoudl be allowed to have any other hair cut besides a buzz cut......
By Hay
Sep 19, 2008 11:57 PM | Link to this
The problem here is two basic parts:
One-- When you tell someone how they can't style cut their hair, that does NOT just affect them at school. It also affects the rest of their time and how they look at home. A school has no right to dictate how a child looks when they are off school grounds, and telling a kid he can't have a mohawk (even one not spiked up) does exactly that. It's a violation of human rights.
Two-- School officials should spend ther time and money worrying about real threats (guns, kinves, etc) NOT worrying about the way a kid looks. Looks don't harm a school environment any more than skin color does...here I am, example of an A+ student, and yes I have a mohawk.
Sad that people are so cruel to that poor kid. These adults need to grow up.
By Vanessa
Jul 2, 2008 6:14 AM | Link to this
I just cut my son's hair this way--he's 17 months, so no wacko school officials to deal with. It's awesome. And I'm going to homeschool anyway, so I feel extra pity for the son's mother in this case, and even more for all of you haters. This is 2008, not 1908, 1958, or even 1998 for that matter. Grow up people--there's a world of hurt out there. Some countries don't even allow women to show themselves, and we are a country based on freedom--haircuts included. I find it laughable that his haircut is a "distraction". Seems like the only people making it an issue ARE the school officials. The other kids probably don't even notice on their own. That kid, and his parents are right on for doing that. Seriously, if they press the issue, they'll win--and can probably sue for major dollars in the end, haha. Oh,Constition, Glorious You Are!!! Muahh!
By Vanessa
Jul 2, 2008 6:14 AM | Link to this
I just cut my son's hair this way--he's 17 months, so no wacko school officials to deal with. It's awesome. And I'm going to homeschool anyway, so I feel extra pity for the son's mother in this case, and even more for all of you haters. This is 2008, not 1908, 1958, or even 1998 for that matter. Grow up people--there's a world of hurt out there. Some countries don't even allow women to show themselves, and we are a country based on freedom--haircuts included. I find it laughable that his haircut is a "distraction". Seems like the only people making it an issue ARE the school officials. The other kids probably don't even notice on their own. That kid, and his parents are right on for doing that. Seriously, if they press the issue, they'll win--and can probably sue for major dollars in the end, haha. Oh,Constition, Glorious You Are!!! Muahh!
By Vanessa
Jul 2, 2008 6:14 AM | Link to this
I just cut my son's hair this way--he's 17 months, so no wacko school officials to deal with. It's awesome. And I'm going to homeschool anyway, so I feel extra pity for the son's mother in this case, and even more for all of you haters. This is 2008, not 1908, 1958, or even 1998 for that matter. Grow up people--there's a world of hurt out there. Some countries don't even allow women to show themselves, and we are a country based on freedom--haircuts included. I find it laughable that his haircut is a "distraction". Seems like the only people making it an issue ARE the school officials. The other kids probably don't even notice on their own. That kid, and his parents are right on for doing that. Seriously, if they press the issue, they'll win--and can probably sue for major dollars in the end, haha. Oh,Constition, Glorious You Are!!! Muahh!
By Vanessa
Jul 2, 2008 6:13 AM | Link to this
I just cut my son's hair this way--he's 17 months, so no wacko school officials to deal with. It's awesome. And I'm going to homeschool anyway, so I feel extra pity for the son's mother in this case, and even more for all of you haters. This is 2008, not 1908, 1958, or even 1998 for that matter. Grow up people--there's a world of hurt out there. Some countries don't even allow women to show themselves, and we are a country based on freedom--haircuts included. I find it laughable that his haircut is a "distraction". Seems like the only people making it an issue ARE the school officials. The other kids probably don't even notice on their own. That kid, and his parents are right on for doing that. Seriously, if they press the issue, they'll win--and can probably sue for major dollars in the end, haha. Oh,Constition, Glorious You Are!!! Muahh!
By Openyourmindassholes
Mar 29, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
People should be able to style their hair any way they want. What's wrong with this society? Since discriminating against a person's race, religion, creed, etc... has gone out of style, now people need something else to discriminate against? ******* idiots! A hairstyle is not a distraction, it's personal expression. Talking in class while the teacher is trying to teach is a distraction.
By Katie Young
Feb 28, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
Some complain the rules weren't spelled out. Fair enough. But the mother was told - repeatedly. Instead of filing a request for clarification, going through proper channels for change, she simply did what so many folks do today - behave with the attitude "you can't tell me what to do." That is not cooperative nor community minded and not a good thing to teach her child.
By JohnQ
Feb 28, 2008 2:24 PM | Link to this
The school reserves the right to have a dress code. However, it should be DEFINED and not left ambiguous so as to target certain groups of people or appearances that are attributed to certain groups of people. "Properly groomed" is far to vague for me. I personally would not enroll my child in a school like that.
What I'm interested in is how does the child act in class? Is he, not his hair, a distraction? Are there behavioral issues whereby he interrupts others from doing their work? What type of character does he have? Or better yet, I'd be interested in knowing how some of the "properly groomed" kids behave and if they do not, what is their punishment? Suspension? This really doesn't make sense but the only option is to enroll your child in an environment where he will not be discriminated against for a look but will be judged by his character.
Welcome to the world of minorities (though you can leave at anytime by changing a hairstyle).
By RobbieSue
Feb 28, 2008 2:15 PM | Link to this
The only thing the mom and boy are guilty of is incredibly bad taste. C'mon... the only hair style tackier than a mohawk is a mullett.
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