Just when I think I can't get upset anymore about stupid stuff schools do, there's this. I'm going to be calling up.

Colorado girl barred from school for shaving her head to support friend battling cancer

Hmmm Reminds me borstal, as one could not shave ones head there neither, but they never barred you, rather to the contrary. They used to call it "self abuse" as I recall.

I live in CO and that girl has every right to support her friend.
It's the school district policies that are messed up.
There's a whole section on hairstyle that affects the learning
environment, but those were written to reflect gang affiliation.

Sort of reminds me of school uniforms. Squelching individuality in the name of eliminating distraction.

I've a split opinion ... I'm all for the girl supporting her friend battling cancer ... but if it is a private school and the dress code was well advertised and everyone involved knew about it / was made aware of it (and it sounds like they were), why did the mother and daughter feel that flaunting the dress code was the way for the girl to support her friend? There are other options.

More information here, though:

http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/20......6853131/

In particular:

"Caprock Academy also said in their statement that sometimes exceptions can be made to the dress code policy under extraordinary circumstances."

The length of ones follicles is of utmost importance, that is clear.

Or flouting it, even.

Lol.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaunt

"Although transitive sense 2 of flaunt undoubtedly arose from confusion with flout, the contexts in which it appears cannot be called substandard <meting out punishment to the occasional mavericks who operate rigged games, tolerate rowdyism, or otherwise flaunt the law — Oscar Lewis> <observed with horror the flaunting of their authority in the suburbs, where men … put up buildings that had no place at all in a Christian commonwealth — Marchette Chute> <in our profession … very rarely do we publicly chastise a colleague who has flaunted our most basic principles — R. T. Blackburn, AAUP Bulletin>. If you use it, however, you should be aware that many people [lowly grammar Nazis - ed.] will consider it a mistake."

Why can't they be called substandard?

That is one aspect of this kind of thing, but I'm not even arguing about that. I think there are good arguments on both sides of the dress code thing. But no argument justifies what was done in this particular case.

What I find despicable is the hacks who think that an essentially arbitrary rule is more important than supporting a child who is supporting her young friend battling cancer. I will be calling the school tomorrow morning to say how shocked I was to hear about this and to ask them to explain how they think they are contributing to anyone's education or character with such a course of action. I'm also going to ask them to publicly apologize to both families.

If others would like to join me, I'll post relevant info tomorrow.

The school had an opportunity to provide an important teaching moment and blew it. School administrators have shown a blantant disregard for the children in their care's education.

The school has reversed their decision. Whatever they say, the national scrutiny of their idiocy was too much for them to live with. Sometimes speaking up works. Good for the parents!

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/26/sc......-cancer/

You want to talk dress code violations? Here's a good one to chew on. http://www.aol.com/article/2014/03/26/ch......webmail7

Edit: Links aren't posting, so if you are interested, Google: Christian school complains 8 year old tomboy isn't feminine enough.

Such contexts have become so widely used that the former distinction between the words is rarely observed nowadays. If anything, the use of "flaunt" has become the de facto standard.

I think it's kind of sad, though, to watch words lose their actual meanings. And I'm glad that guys like S2000 take the time to remind us of distinctions that many have forgotten over the years.

I shall now go flaunt something, but not in such a way as to flout the law.

And they say language doesn't devolve.

It both evolves in some ways and devolves in others.

Read some Middle or Old English and compare with modern translations. Evolution, devolution, or both?

Oh yes. Considering myself a Christian (albet a lapsed one) there aren't enough eyerolling avatars to promote my distaste for these people.

Things that make you go Hmmmm.

Your taste is little girls dressed up as boys and little boys dressed up as girls?

LOL-a!

Get a grip, tommy.

Ed knows I am just kidding him.