I can’t believe I am writing about hair again.
But this time it seems to be about a principal who is splitting hairs about hairstyles.
Nigel Pelston, the principal of Rocklands High in Mitchells Plain, has been gelling Grade 12s up to the wrong way, by denying 13 of them access to their valedictory and matric ball because of their haircuts.
And many of the parents have been equally upset because they have also been looking forward to their kids’ matric send-off.
They reckon he is splitting hairs and should allow the seniors a bit of freedom in their final year, especially for their matric ball.
Matric balls are, of course, a very big deal and these days call for massive and expensive celebrations.
Not to take away from it, but I would argue that passing matric well is only the beginning on what is hopefully a road of excellence.
Celebrating it in such a big way may, in fact, the signal that no more effort is required. But that’s a column for another day.
Our Facebook page has been a verbal battleground of parents and former pupils of Mr Pelston’s at each others’ throats.
One of the boys’ mothers also joined in to explain that her son had excellent grades and deserved the celebration.
Another explained that her son is not a gangster and hasn’t harmed anyone, so the school was being petty and unnecessary.
Yes, having a banned hairdo is a misdemeanour at best.
But the question needs to be asked; where do we draw the line?
I refer to my piece about the “Broken Windows Theory” elsewhere on this page and ask you to think about it in that way.
If your child should be allowed to break one “small” school rule, will you accept another child breaking a “small” community rule, because it is insignificant to them?
And on and on we go.
We can’t complain about unruly learners in one breath and then criticise a disciplinarian principal in the next breath.
I suggest we praise Mr Pelston for caring enough to pay attention to something as insignificant as hair.
I can just imagine how diligent he must be about the more important things.