Dear Editor,

It is almost predictable that every year we will have the same conversations about school rules, particularly those relating to dress and grooming.

As an educator, it is sometimes comical to listen to the views of non-educators as they debate the seemingly endless case of ‘Schools versus Students: Grooming’. Nonetheless, these discussions are not without merit, and the concerns being raised deserve to be taken seriously.

Many advocacy groups have also joined the conversation, focusing primarily on the grooming of hair, particularly among our boys. While I agree with many of the arguments being advanced, there are also some grey areas that require clarification.

Here are a few points worth noting:

1) School rules are not created in isolation.

2) Schools do not simply make rules up as they go along.

3) Parent-teacher associations play an important role in the development and review of school rules.

4) School rules are subject to discussion, approval, and ratification through the appropriate governance structures, including the school board.

The fact remains that the national grooming policy provides a broad framework within which individual schools must develop rules that are appropriate to their particular circumstances. Schools operate within different social, cultural, and institutional contexts, and, as circumstances and trends change, some rules may need to be amended, reviewed, or abandoned to ensure order, consistency, and fairness among students.

We cannot, however, ignore the fact that some school rules and the manner in which they are enforced can become overly punitive and may unnecessarily limit students’ creative expression, particularly in relation to grooming. This is why all stakeholders — students, parents, teachers, administrators, and school boards — must continue to engage in meaningful dialogue to ensure that no group of students feels unfairly targeted or victimised by school policies.

We must also move away from the practice of locking students out or turning them away from school because of breaches of certain aspects of the school code. Alternative approaches to managing these situations should be explored. In some cases, students deliberately break rules because they know they may be sent home. This creates a loophole in the system and can inadvertently reward non-compliance with an opportunity to avoid the classroom.

There should also be caution against physically touching, apprehending, or otherwise handling a student because of a grooming violation. Such situations can be managed through appropriate communication and established disciplinary procedures. A simple but meaningful conversation with the student and his or her parents can often go a long way towards correcting the breach without unnecessarily escalating the situation.

Finally, we must remember that schools are preparing students for the world of work and for responsible citizenship. While we should encourage individuality, creativity, and self-expression, schools also have a responsibility to establish reasonable standards of conduct, appearance, and deportment. There are practices evident in popular culture that we simply cannot allow to filter indiscriminately into our schools.

The challenge, therefore, is not to choose between students’ rights and school authority; it is to find the appropriate balance. School rules must be reasonable, clearly communicated, consistently applied, and periodically reviewed. At the same time, students must understand that belonging to a school community comes with responsibilities and expectations.

Our objective should be to create school environments in which discipline is developmental rather than draconian, in which students are respected but held accountable, and in which rules promote order, stability, dignity, and consistency rather than becoming instruments of unnecessary punishment.

Ricardo E Smith

Senior educator and social scientist

ricardo.professional.edu@gmail.com