There has been a lot of conversation lately about the KISD Dress Code following the news report about the "pink hair" episode at Hillwood Middle School. Can you clarify why that situation was handled the way it was?
One of the tragedies coming out of the “pink hair” episode is an apparent attempt to portray Hillwood Middle School as heavy-handed and unsupportive of student uniqueness and differences, neither of which is accurate or true. HMS is a diverse, interesting, very involved and academically successful group of students whose differences and uniqueness are celebrated by their teachers and administrative staff. A further unfortunate portrayal of HMS as insensitive to victims of cancer or other life tragedies is also untrue and unfair. HMS students and staff raise and donate money and contribute time to causes beyond their school walls every year, and HMS tends to be a leader among KISD peer campuses when changes and initiatives that give students an opportunity to be involved are piloted.
The KISD Dress Code, posted on-line since the beginning of school as a reference for all, is not specific to Hillwood Middle School. The Dress Code is developed to reflect community norms in dress and personal appearance, then reviewed and approved through a district-wide committee called the District Educational Improvement Committee (DEIC). Students at every KISD campus K-12 are held to the same Code with regard to their attire and grooming. The function of the HMS administrative staff is to enforce the Code that is reflective of KISD Board of Trustees’ expectations and community norms, not interpret the Code and apply it in some cases, not in others.
A brief review of the on-line Dress Code will demonstrate that HMS staff handling of the ‘pink hair” issue was appropriate. The student was in violation, and as stated at the end of the Dress Code, “school administrators…[are authorized] to employ appropriate disciplinary procedures to carry out and enforce this policy.” Some of the comments we have received about this episode find the punishment (suspension) to be heavy-handed and inappropriate for the infraction. A student in violation of the Dress Code is removed until that student is in compliance with the Dress Code. The length and severity of that suspension is determined by the student and his/her parents, not HMS.