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Dress code violation - Bald kid told to lose the hat
Filed under: Teens, Health & Safety: Babies, Medical Conditions, In The News, Day Care & Education, Special Needs
The last thing most kids want to be is 'different'. From their clothes to their hairstyles, kids tend to copy one another in an effort to blend in and be part of the group. But for some kids, blending in is difficult. 13-year-old Dale Platts knows all about that. At the age of five months, he suffered a severe bout of bronchitis which not only sent him to the hospital, but also caused his immune system to begin attacking different parts of his body. He lost all of his hair as well as his toenails and fingernails - a condition known as alopecia universalis.
According to his parents, Dale was unconcerned about his lack of hair until he reached middle school and the bullying began. Tired of the taunts and name-calling, Dale began wearing a baseball cap at all times. Unfortunately, baseball caps are prohibited by the uniform dress code policy at Robert Pattinson School in the UK where Dale is enrolled.
School officials ordered Dale to lose the hat or be moved out of the classroom and be taught in isolation. They did offer him an alternative to the baseball cap, but Dale says the woolen beanie they suggested causes eczema and headaches. Plus, because the beanie is brimless, it doesn't protect Dale's lashless eyes from the school's fluorescent lighting and dust.
Rather than expose his bald head or wear the beanie, Dale showed up for the first day of school wearing his baseball cap. He was sent home and has yet to return to school. His mom, Kenina Platts, feels that school officials are being unreasonable. "It's really cruel. I'm outraged the school can be so short-sighted. He wears the hat for medical reasons - it's not a fashion statement. Dale has to suffer at the hands of child bullies. Now the school itself is pressurising him and bullying him. He is too ashamed to take it off. To say he would be taught in isolation is madness. It is like putting him in solitary confinement. It is punishing him for being bald."
I am usually a hardliner when it comes to school dress codes. But I think like everything else in the world, there should always be some room in the rules for the exercise of common sense. If, as the school spokesman says, there can be exceptions to the dress code for religious or medical reasons, I can't see why Dale should not be allowed to wear his hat.
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ReaderComments (Page 5 of 31)
9-10-2008 @ 3:13PM
drew said...I have a plan. Stop wasting time here. Send a short message directly to the school. Scroll up, the info is there....
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:15PM
Rob said...Robert Pattinson School in the UK Google it and email them. I did. It says the school in the article people.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:18PM
julia said...the address is:
robert pettinson school
moor lane, north hykeham
lincolnshire, ln6 9af
or you can send an email to:
rps.rps@ntlworld.com
you got to love google
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:25PM
jake savage said...its high time people got it togather and made school teachers do what we want done not what them and their teachersass.want.which rather you like it or not is a union and public empolyees are not really supposed to have a unionand they know it so does everyone else but no one does anything about it .so these so-called teachers go on doing as they want
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:18PM
lee said...Mary,
It's clear you just don't understand. He wore a hat BEFORE he entered this school. HE IS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL NOW. This means a DIFFERENT school with different dress codes. You are one heartless person.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:19PM
heidi said...i am all for school regulations but this poor child has gone through enough torment and pain, if i were the parents i would go after the school and school board they would not get away with it. why cant parents teach their children to behave and be respectful of other children. this all stems from the way they are brought up there is no reason for teasing children or anyone for that fact.my son when he was in 1st grade had a friend who's father was black and the mother was white he had black features and hair and light skin. children in his school made fun of him all the time even some of the teachers and a few parents, i let them all have it because noone has a right to hurt someone else whether is physical,sexual or mental abuse, it cant be tolerated. teach your children the right way in life and not to be bully's.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:19PM
JAE said...He lost his lashes try reading the article more carefully.
Reply
9-11-2008 @ 10:02AM
amanda said...Freedom of speech and expression. As long as you're not harming anyone, quit trying to harm them. Why is everyone so closed minded? Don't you understand that conformity violates the very constitution that was brought about by JUSTIFIED rebellion?! Question authority
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:24PM
Jennifer said...This is horrible. My heart breaks for this child. Being in middle school is tough enough, imagine going through it with an illness. Obviously his hat is his shield, and he feels comfortable wearing it. The school should be ashamed of themselves.
If you feel like sending a letter to the school or e-mail here is the contact information!
Robert Pattinson School
Moor Lane, North Hykeham
Lincolnshire, LN6 9AF
Email: rsp.rsp@ntlworld.com
Imagine if this was your child.. lets help this little boy!!
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:23PM
Lee said...Maybe they should require everyone to wear a hat! Then it would be uniform!
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:27PM
cathy rohrscheib said...i think this is terrible to be messing with a kid who can not help this hes sick. more should be done for him. thats why the world it seams is like it is. give the kid a gun an then hes the nut case. i agree with the one who said about the columbine sickens me.this goes on an on. already in school 1 week an 2 cases i heard about so far
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 5:30PM
Virginia said...Bobbie you are absolutely right, the Americans with Disabilites Act covers all handicaps and public schools are required to abide. My son had a neurological disorder that caused learning difficulties and his doctor wrote his lesson plan for the school (they didn't like it, but the dr threatened legal action LOL). In the US, if a doctor says its necessary then it is. Surely the UK has some protection for the children (or adults) with medical conditions.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:27PM
Jennifer said...Robert Pattinson School
Moor Lane, North Hykeham
Lincolnshire, LN6 9AF
rps.rps@ntlworld.com
They need a few letters and e-mails.. this is horrible!
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:28PM
Art said...POOR LITTLE BOY? COME ON FOLKS, HE WAS BEING TEASED, GOT UPSET AND TRIED TO DO SOMETHING THAT IS A VIOLATION OF THE SCHOOL. EVERYONE HERE LOVES TO JUST IMMEDIATELY JUDGE THE SCHOOL AND BLAME THEM YET THE SCHOOL OFFERED AN ALTERNATIVE. FIND ANOTHER BEANIE AND GET OVER THE TEASING.
AND YES, I, AMONG EVERYONE HERE, WAS TEASED AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER. TEASING IS NOT BULLYING, OTHERWISE MANY OF YOU ARE BULLIES.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 3:48PM
Leventam said...@Art:
First of all, we all know CAPS is cruise control for cool. Pfft.
Second of all, everyone gets bullied but not everyone has this boy's condition. If the lack of hat is detrimental to his health, both emotional and otherwise, they should make an exception for him.
Third of all, did you even read the full article? The school's alternative causes eczema and headaches. So, if you had this condition and the alternative the school offered would cause these sort of problems, would you settle for the alternative? Of course not.
TL;DR (Summing it up): Art, you're completely without compassion. Moreover, you're stupid. gg
By the way, your caps key is above the shift key. Using it would make you look at least a little intelligent.
9-10-2008 @ 4:00PM
Art said...YOU CAN'T FIND A BEANIE THAT ISN'T ELASTIC?? I HAVE ONE, I WILL SEND IT TO HIM.
YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT. THE SYSTEM DOES NOT NEED CHANGING FOR ONE LITTLE BOY. HE NEEDS TO TOUGHEN UP. WE HAVE ALL HAD OUR PROBLEMS AND IT SUCKS WORSE FOR HIM BUT HIS PARENTS NEED TO TELL HIM TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT HE IS DIFFERENT AND THATS ALL. HE NEEDS TO ACCEPT IT, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY OTHERS WILL NOT.
9-10-2008 @ 4:13PM
Leventam said...Art, there is no point in arguing this with you. You are obviously just as cold-hearted as the school officials. If you were in the boy’s position, you’d be singing a totally different tune.
This isn’t about ‘toughening him up.’ This is about a child whose condition medically necessitates a hat with a brim. Let me put it in terms you can understand.
HE HAS A MEDICAL AILMENT, ART. BULLYING OR NOT, THAT HAT PROTECTS HIS SCALP AND EYEBROWS, ETC. GOING BY YOUR ARGUMENT, ANY HANDICAPPED PERSON WITH A PHYSICAL AILMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE CONCESSIONS MADE FOR THEM.
I’m not replying to you again considering you don’t have the common sense or decency to get MY point and the point echoed by countless others here. And contrary to one of your prior comments, it’s people like you -- cold, hard, uncaring dolts that bully and make situations like this excruciating for boys like Dale.
9-10-2008 @ 4:32PM
Kika said...You missed the memo on the fact that capslock is NOT cruise control for cool, didn't you. Or you're an idiot. One of the two.
This kid's got a medical condition. Thus, the typical teasing isn't gonna be typical for this boy. For heaven's sake, he has no hair on his body! Plus, they mentioned that the beanie didn't cover his eyes, which are lashless. Oh, that was mentioned in the article, too? Damn, your eyesight must suck. Even without the elastic, the material in the beanie caused eczema. Sure, he could go out and buy another beanie, but that doesn't solve the eye issue. Neither would it mean the school would approve of the other beanie.
And another thing; being different and being unique don't equal being a social anomoly. Wait, do you know what that means? Maybe I should dumb it down for you; an anomoly is an abnormality, or something not of the average variety, even in the smallest social cliques. Though, I suppose he'd get along just fine with skin-heads... Yeah, bad joke, but you all know you smiled a little. Anywho, being unique is one thing. Being unique takes effort. Being an anomoly can be a choice, but in Dale's case, it wasn't. He didn't choose to lose all of his hair. He didn't choose to lose his fingernails and toenails. He didn't choose to be the freak-show at school. He chose to fit in the best way he thought would work. And if it means wearing a damn baseball cap, I salute the kid. At least it doesn't say "Fuck you all, I'm different" on it. But that would be an awesome hat if it did. I know I'd wear it.
9-10-2008 @ 4:47PM
Katrina said...I don't feel the need to comment on most of the things you've said because I feel the others have said enough about it and if you still don't get it, you're obviously being pig-headed about the whole situation.
I do however feel the need to comment on the fact that you said "TEASING IS NOT BULLYING". It is indeed bullying. There are two different kinds of teasing, teasing can be playful if among freinds and can even then hurt somebody, but it can also just be out of blatant disregard for anothers feelings.
Look up the definiton of both words. They're a match.
9-10-2008 @ 4:53PM
Leventam said...@kika -- I’m not sure if your comment (following was directed at me):
“You missed the memo on the fact that capslock is NOT cruise control for cool, didn't you. Or you're an idiot. One of the two.”
If in fact it was, I’d like to say (and just so everyone knows) that in my first reply to Art, I was being sarcastic. And before I wrote that paragraph in caps, I noted: “Let me put it in terms you can understand.” More sarcasm.