Student Used Marker to Fill in Shaved Hairstyle That Violated Dress Code

The male student arrived at Miller Junior High with the letter “M” shaved into his fade haircut (Google Street View)

A student in Houston, Texas, reportedly was given the option of coloring in his hair with a marker. He took it, and now school officials have issued an apology.

The male student arrived at Miller Junior High with the letter “M” shaved into his fade haircut, reported the Houston Chronicle. The report noted that the haircut was in violation of the school’s dress code, and an administrator gave him three choices.

The Chronicle reported on what was told to the boy: “Either call your mother, receive a disciplinary action, or color it in with a marker.”

The student ended up coloring in the “M” area with a black marker. Public outrage ensued on social media after a photo of the incident emerged.

“He came over and said, ‘You have two options: You can either go to (in-school suspension) or color it in,’” said Juelz Trice, the boy, ABC13 reported. “Everyone was coming up to me. It was like the talk of the school that day and the day after.”

District leaders said the administrator, who wasn’t named in the report, was placed on leave and may be punished in some way after the staffer “mishandled disciplinary action,” according to a statement from the school.

“District administration has contacted the student’s family to express our extreme disappointment in this situation, which does not fall in line with the values of Pearland ISD,” the statement said.

Facebook user Angela Washington, the boy’s mother, triggered a firestorm when the student got a haircut on April 16 and went to school the next day before the administrator told him his options. The user said the staffer, an assistant principal, “decided to color my baby design with a PERMANENT MARKER,” according to the Chronicle.

“When it first happened, I was very upset because I didn’t find out until after he got off the bus and he got into the car and said, ‘Look what they did to my head,’” Washington told ABC13.

According to the Pearland Independent School District’s dress code, hair “must be neat, clean and well groomed. Extreme hair styles such as carvings, mohawks, spikes, etc. are not allowed.”

District officials issued an apology, saying that coloring in hair “is not condoned by the district and does not align with appropriate measures for dress code violations,” the Chronicle reported.

The administrator “should not be a leader on a campus with very impressionable children,” Pearland Trustee Mike Floyd stated.

“From what we’re seeing emerging right now in the public discourse, it’s just absolutely inappropriate what occurred,” Floyd explained. “The real problem is there’s a clear and obvious display of a lack of judgment.”

Online Backlash

Commenters on a Facebook post expressed anger. “Sue the lunch off that school AND the district,” one Facebook commenter wrote. “This is awful,” said another commenter. “Lawyer up,” according to Yahoo News.

However, users on Yahoo noted that the child was in violation of the dress code and was given options. “The kid chose the marker option, If he didn’t like it he shouldn’t have violated the school dress code or taken the suspension (sic),” he said. “Well the other option I am sure was to suspend him so what’s the beef. The dress code and appearance of haircuts I am sure was not kept a secret from HE OR HIS PARENTS,” added another.