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Hair Today, Hair Tomorrow |
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Tuesday, 09 September 2008 |
By SHAWN YORKS
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GOODWELL — In the end, it all came down to legalities.
The Goodwell Public Schools Board of Education voted Monday night to scratch wording from its dress code that mandated males not be allowed to have facial hair or have long hair.
The action came after the board last month voted to approve changes to the student handbook, specifically the dress code, that said males were not allowed to grow beards or goatees and were not allowed to have hair longer than below the ear lobe. That drew the ire of several parents in the district, and created some divisiveness among the school board members.
Not only that — it violated Oklahoma Law.
In 1976, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that public schools could not govern boys' hair length. In that case — 1976 OK 71 553 P.2d 496 Case Number: 48253 — Seiling Public Schools principals threatened to suspend four male students — one in junior high, one in high school and two in elementary school, if they didn't cut their hair.
That 32-year-old ruling has been challenged and upheld several times.
"We demand that the school board and administration comply with the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling on the matter," said Dr. James Benjamin, who has a son in the middle school.
A petition — which ultimately ended up with 73 signatures — had been circulating around Goodwell, claiming the hair policy was unconstitutional.
"Our school board is attempting to violate our students' First Amendment Rights to free expression, as well as 14th Amendment rights to due process," Benjamin said.
Benjamin said the dress code stated that students who were found to be in violation of the dress code policy would be sent home with an unexcused absence.
"What that does, in my understanding, is to preclude the students and their parents from requesting a hearing with the school board," Benjamin said.
Several other parents spoke on both sides of the issue.
Sue Etbauer said she supported the new changes to the dress code, as did Lori Latham, who has been on the faculty at Goodwell School for 17 years.
"I have seen, in those past years, a decline in dress, appearance, language and attitude of our students, just because maybe a little lack in our dress codes," Latham said. "I welcome an administration here that upholds the standards and expects high standards of our kids."
Christine Lewis and her son, Blake Lewis, disagreed with the new policy.
"Needless to say, the stress that my family has had to deal with the last couple of weeks ... not cool," Christine Lewis said. "I think being pulled out of class by certain administration to lecture him about his hair is more detrimental to his learning than his hair being long."
After hearing both sides, the board decided to remove the wording regarding hair from the dress code.
School board member Roger Edenborough addressed what he said was false information going around town.
"I think it needs to be known that myself, as a board member, and I would make the assumption that the whole board, nobody was trying to mislead the public or do the terrible things that I've read about," Edenborough said. "I know I've talked to some people, and I didn't lie to anyone. And I guess what I'm trying to get at in a nice manner, is maybe some things didn't go right. I wasn't up there at the school. I don't know how it was presented to the kids. I know we had another board member that helped stir some things up, which really shouldn't happen on a unified decision."
School board member Russel Guthrie said he did not initiate contact with parents on the issue, he was contacted by them.
"And that was after I had checked with our OSSBA legal council," Guthrie said. "I seconded the (original) motion for the student handbooks. And I believe there are some good qualities to discipline. But this is black and white. Our situation is no different than the decision of the Seiling School District (in 1976). And the Seiling School District lost."
After the board voted to remove the wording by a 5-0 vote, school board chairman Cory Rose and second grade teacher Vicki Shelburne said they hope the rifts that have developed in Goodwell over the issue simply go away.
"I have seen different controversies split our community," Shelburne said. "Our community is too good a community to have it happen again. It takes too long to repair that, and I would hope that this issue can be resolved and left right here and not go any further."
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Last Updated ( Friday, 12 September 2008 )
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