A Texas mother is upset after she said her son’s teacher cut her 16-year-old son’s hair without permission and by the order of the school’s principal.
Amy Martin told The Empire Tribune, "My son was taken to the special education building where a teacher chopped off his bangs. They were cut straight across. It reminded me of Jim Carrey's haircut in 'Dumb and Dumber.'"
Her son, Lane Kiesling, was apparently violating the district's rules listed in the "code of conduct," the newspaper reported.
"It was well below my eyebrows, but it was on top of my glasses so it never got in my eyes. It just got close," Kiesling told KXAS.
Martin agrees that his hair was too long, but she said she didn't have money to get it cut since she has health issues and is unemployed, according to the Empire Tribune.
She also told KXAS that Kiesling told her about his hair being too long, but in addition to not having the money to get it done, they didn't have transportation.
Martin said the teen's hair was cut by the teacher by the direction of Hico High School principal Shelli Stegall and she only learned about it when Kiesling came home and ran to his room, crying, the Tribune reported.
Kiesling told KXAS that he was told by Stegall that the teacher who was going to cut his bangs had a cosmetology license.
He said it was originally supposed to happen after school, but he was pulled from class and the teacher used what he said looked like craft scissors, KXAS reported.
When he returned to class, the other students laughed at the cut, he told the television station.
He said he was working to earn the money he needed to get his hair cut and wondered why they cut his hair, instead of sending him home.
The principal eventually admitted to Martin that it was a bad haircut, but only after Martin said Stegall tried to blame Kiesling for looking down while the teacher cut the student's hair, the Tribune reported.
Stegall also took Kiesling to an area barber to get the cut fixed.
"I know it's just hair. It grows back. But it's not like she just gave him a haircut. She hurt his self-esteem, his self-image. That's the problem," Martin told KXAS.
School District Superintendent, Jon Hartgraves, issued a statement about what happened.
“As part of our commitment to provide a safe and secure learning environment, HICO ISD has a student code of conduct and student handbook that is comprehensive. Student expectations are shared at the beginning of every school year,” the statement read. “We also ask parents to sign off on our procedures which are based on community values. We encourage parents to be involved in decision-making processes, share how they feel about district operations and to share any concerns with their child’s principal. Ultimately, our priority is to educate and support the well-being of every student in Hico ISD. The district will make no further comment on student matters.”
Martin tried to file a complaint with local police three times, claiming her son's rights were violated, according to the Tribune.
The police chief responded after Martin posted the story to social media. She filed a report with law enforcement after the meeting with the chief. She also said she is contacting an attorney.
"It's not that we disagree with the rules, but there was a better way to handle this," Martin told the Tribune. "My son has been traumatized. This is a lot for a kid to deal with. He wants to change schools."
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