Star Student Suspended for Pink Hair
What do you think?
This week, a 12 year-old student was suspended from her Missouri school for dyeing her hair pink. School officials say that Amelia Robbins, a 7th-grader, had been warned at the end of her 6th grade year that the pink streaks she sported were causing a distraction. Nonetheless, over the summer she went fully pink.
Amelia says that she dyed her hair pink to honor her late father, who died of cancer (pink has been used as symbol for cancer awareness). But as she stated in one interview, she was also motivated by the desire to express herself as an individual (see the video interview at CNN.com). School officials were apparently not impressed by her individualism.
What do you think? Is this a case of a rebellious teen who got what she deserved? Or, do you think the school went too far? Leave a comment and express yourself!
Comments
i don’t think they should have suspended her because isn’t there a reason they wrote the bill of rights for a reason. u can’t make anyone suspended because of there hair color.
wow that is REALLY gay that they expelled Amanda for dieing her hair!!! and if this is you Amanda I’m sorry you had to go threw that!thank you for standing up for individuality. i know cancer sucks too! you are a hero for us students of Magnolia school!
you know i think that her school went way to far, because if she wants to dye her hair pink then she can it is her body, her mind, and her hair. if the teachers dont like the pink dye thats there choice but she did that to support her dad! maybe she just wanted to let her dad know that she cares about him and that she loves him, i mean come on! i think pink hair dye is awsome!!!!!!!!!!
i think that she should be able to express her self however she wants. everybody is different in there own unique way. she did that to honor her dad, and she apparently likes that color… so… any ways she should be able 2 express her self.
>>>>brooks>>>>>>.,.,.,.,.,?????????
YOU KNOW WHAT?! NO! BAD! THIS IS NOT GOOD! HER HAIR NOT YOURS, HERS! YOU BE STUPID!!! RAWWWWRRRRR!!!!!!!
Good grief it’s just hair!
I’m really tired about people getting worked up about a person not fitting into the mold that is written out for you. Am I really the only person sick of the sameness so many exhibit? I honestly have times I can’t tell people apart because they look more and more like clones of each other.
Change yourself to show some individuality well than good on you:)
My 54 year old mother has purple hair and now two tattoos. And she looks great!
Say it with me: “your body, yourself and your right to it.”
I think it is crazy to suspend somebody because of hair. What does it say to kids who look “different” for reasons beyond their control?
This story made http://detentionslip.org! Check it out for all the crazy headlines from our schools.
OMG! these administrative people are waaaay overreacting! i love pink hair! i want pink hair! (except my mom wont let me…)
Her name isn’t Amanda, its Amelia according to the CNN video. But it is retarded.
Amelia is honoring her late father. If I was attending her school, I wouldn’t be distracted by her Pink Hair i would be distracted on all the media being at the school dyed hair. News Media focus your attention on real news like, Crime and how we can pull our communities together all across our great nation AMERICA!!!!!!!!!
Honestly,
COME ON guys.
The school warned her before suspending her,
at first with the streaks it was just a warning, but then with the total pink AFTER the initial warning??
The school warned her, she was causing a disruption, she’s TWELVE for Pete’s sake, the school had the right to suspend her. It’s just like having a dress code, it’s to create a peaceful enviroment without disruptions such as having too much skin showing or risking possible injury.
As for her father’s cancer, it is obviously an extremely sad story, however, there are many many ways to mourn a death. She did NOT have to do it in that manner.
The bottom line. The pink hair was distracting, the school warned her, and she got a rightful punishment for it.
i think pink hair is amazing and if amelia wants 2 stand out its her every right, if teachers want kids to be boring and have 0 personality, then SUSPEND HER! if theyre normal teachers and would teach their kids to be themselves and NEVER listen to what others say about you, LEAVE her alone! it makes sense! KEEP IT PINK AMELIA!
Oh my gosh! I was suspended for the EXACT same thing.. I died my hair pink…this was in 2002, and I was a senior in high school at Concord Academy Boyne in Boyne City, Michigan. I really don’t understand why it even matters! They can’t say no to “natural” colors, even when done in an unnatural way…which can be just as distracting. Let kids dye their hair…it is better than them bringing guns to school and killing students!
Are you going to let your 10 year old wear makeup? Bright red lipstick? thick eyeshadow? Mascara? How is this different?
Kids need time to be kids. They don’t need to use permanent hair dye. I would probably allow it in a high school ager but not before. Our society has been desensitized into allowing children to do adult things sooner and sooner with each new generation.
Be careful not to let your children look older than they are. The wrong people might notice.
As for this story- It might have been harsh to suspend her over it, but she knew ahead of time she was breaking the rule. And you have to wonder if her true reason was her father’s cancer or if she might have used that as an excuse.
i think that it is crazy for getting suspended for dying your hair the color tha you want…. Thank you!!
In a previous case it was ruled that a school cannot have a say as far as hair style or color. She should have stood up for her rights, and had her mom Sue the school, because that goes against the right to freedom of expression.
I mean for Ma’at’s sake its not as if she went out and got something pierced and started wearing skimpy clothing, or wearing heavy whorish makeup. Dying hair is a simple, and harmless expression of self, and if it was initially done to honor her father’s passing, then more power to the kid!
that is really messed up its just hair its not like she going to school with out cloths on just get over it
This is a 12 year old LITTLE GIRL! She shouldn’t be allowed to die her hair anyway. As far as the school is concerned, if there is a hair color clause in their official dress code, they have every right to suspend her. Think about how much attention this has gotten. Of course it is a destraction to the student body. Teachers and administrators are not trying to stifle creativity or individuality. I cringe at the cookie cutter kids in my classroom. At 12 years old, however, things need to be kept conservative. Most little girls can’t even wear make-up at that age, and when they go to school and see a girl allowed to dye her hair (pink no less, no little high-lights here!) it is of course going to be the topic of conversation for weeks. The school had every right to do what they did, good for them for sticking to their original warning, and not being wishy-washy. We should applaud them for not backing down like so many schools do under the pressure of an angry mama, not to mention the media.
Are you guys out of your minds??? You’re preaching about this child like she was yours. She’s not. If her mother allowed her to dye her hair pink in honor of her father, then that’s a family matter. It doesn’t matter if you think she’s old enough to dye her hair yet or not. Kids do things, permanent things like, um… having sex?? You can say that it is wrong for a 13 year old to have sex, but some do. You can say it is wrong for kids to smoke, but they do. When it’s not a legal matter, it should be left to the parent and child to decide. It’s really not anyone else’s business. as for warning her?? seriously… the next step is not suspension. The next step is calling the parents if it is such a “distraction”. Now, if the argument is that it is a distraction rather than it just simply being inappropriate, then they need to take on all the kids who let their thongs show at the top of their pants or bra straps show (because you know that’s distracting anyone attracted to them) and they need to take on all the guys who smell like gym socks in the classroom because THAT is distracting. Maybe they have done this, but by the time a kid is 13, they have a personality that you or I cannot deny. They therefore deserve the same right as you or I to express this in anyway.
In reality we are all reading only part of the story out of context and interpreting it from our own personal bias. Try to open your minds and see more than one side of this.
I hate when people don’t let others express themselves. This is ridiculous. If she was my child, I would have sued the school for denying her the right to freedom of expression. Is it really such a shock and outrage that a 12 or 13 year old (or ANY age kid, for that matter) should want to be who they are? *rolls eyes* How DARE she try to be an individual! How DARE she not want to dress up and parade around like a perfect little penguin, blending in with all the other boring people who look and act exactly alike! Why, it’s unheard of! *gasp* Shame….
Lol no but really… It’s retarded to tell someone they cannoy dye their hair. If a 12 year old that had brown hair dyed it blonde, no one would care in the least. They would not make a big deal over it, and they wouldn’t have anything to say except “Gee, that hair color looks on you.” Well maybe pink looked nice on her? Give the girl a break! I mean seriously… If hair color is so “distracting” then don’t look at it. She’s not jumping up and screaming “HEY EVERYONE, LOOK AT ME AND MY WILD HAIR! I COMMAND YOU TO LOOK AT IT; I FORCE YOU TO!!!” No, she is not.
And about her father dying… That is really sad. I wish I were a teacher, I would have let her do what she wanted. I mean I understand about having rules and why some rules are good, but… Telling someone what they can and cannot do with their OWN body is just plain ignorant. SUE THE SCHOOL, I SAY!
Its not a sin to do what ever you want to ur body and no one should have the right to take that from u. Its not in the bill of rights that the schools have control over u and that they can do that
coloring your hair natural and unnatural colors is a way of expressing yourself and your hair IS NOT DISTRACTING thats bologna when people say you can’t dye your hair cuz its distracting. hair that is un colored can be distracting then what are they gonna say go cut your hair cuz its distracting.
if anyone should be punishing a child for wacky but cool hair it should be the parents place not the schools. And i’d guess her mom was cool with it.
the fact that the school suspended her goes directly against the ninth amendment (which states people have rights not listed in the constitution). when the school suspended amelia they were directly violating the united states. people should be free and not have to follow guidelines on how they look. this makes it hard to be an individual and controls how people are. people should not be aloud to control how other people act, think and look. the school should be ashamed