A mother temporarily withdrew her son from school after claiming he was isolated because of his hairstyle for the Easter holidays. 14-year-old Charlie Deiss was cut – with a shaved bottom half and a haircut on top – on Sunday, before his return to Kingswood Academy after the holidays.
His mother, Sam Dace, said she was shocked when she was called from school to be told that Charlie was isolated because his haircut “did not comply with school uniform policy.” Despite his disagreement with the school, Sam returned Charlie to the hairdresser on Monday “in an attempt to satisfy the school.”
That didn’t work, as Sam claims Charlie was isolated again the next day. Now she took her son out of school.
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Sam said: “He did his hair before going back to school. I took him to school and then got a phone call saying they had to put Charlie in solitary confinement. I asked, “Why?” And they said, “Because of his hair, he doesn’t conform to school rules.”
“They said it because of a faded line or something, and you could see two contrasting colors. I said, “Well, obviously you’ll see two contrasting colors, because half of it is shaved and the top is trimmed.” He didn’t add colors or anything. “Sam’s same arguments were explained by the class teacher when she went to school on Monday morning after the call, and that Charlie’s hair” distracted the other students. “
Charlie Deiss was placed in solitary confinement at Kingswood Academy for his haircut. Here is its cladding, seen from the side. (Image: HullLive / Donna Clifford)
When he was placed in solitary confinement, Sam claimed that Charlie had been placed in a booth in a locked room and was only allowed to go to the bathroom twice a day, accompanied by a teacher. She also says he was not released while other students traveled between lessons. “I said, how does that affect his education, his cut hair?
School uniform, I fully understand that policies should be strict, but I said, “This is a haircut, can you explain to me why you had to put him in isolation, which punishes him?” It’s not good for his mental health if sitting in an isolated room. “
Despite disagreeing with the isolation policy, Sam still tried to solve the problem and returned Charlie to hairdresser Adrian Shan on Monday afternoon, where he usually gets a haircut to try to change it to suit the school. She thought she had succeeded only so that her son could return home on Tuesday afternoon and tell her that he was in solitary confinement again.
14-year-old Charlie Deiss was placed in solitary confinement at Kingswood Academy, Hull, after his Easter haircut did not suit school policy. (Image: Sam Dace)
On Wednesday, Sam decided to keep Charlie out of school while he remained isolated for his haircut, and was warned he could be fined for it. “I’d rather get a fine than let my son suffer like that,” Sam said.
Kingswood Academy, Yorkshire’s best performing school, was contacted by Hull Live for comment. The academy’s website in the unified policy manual says about students’ hair: “Hair should be smart and conservative. Extreme hair colors are not allowed (only natural looking colors are allowed). Extreme hairstyles, including obvious step-by-step changes in hair length, shaved lines / patterns and colored hair braids are also not allowed for any student.
“Students will be asked to address these issues as soon as possible and parents will be connected. If the problem cannot be fixed, the student will be put in action until the hair meets the expectations of the academy.
Does your child’s school have a uniform and appearance policy that you disagree with? Let us know in the comments.
Sam claims that this is not the first time Charlie has been isolated because of his haircut. She said earlier in the school year he had been isolated for a short day because of the same haircut before the headmaster checked and allowed him to return to lessons with other students.
“I’m not forcing him to be punished for that. It’s completely wrong and I just don’t agree with that,” Sam said.
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