On Spring break my 14 year old child got her nose pierced, along with my 17 year old child and her friend who is also a student at Andalusia High School and one grade above her. After getting the piercing she was informed by another student in Jr high that she would be “coded” for being against the dress code and the school would force her to remove it.  The older student has multiple friends in her class that have nose rings and  was told that the nose ring policy was no longer an enforced policy. We were unclear as to whether this was an outdated policy because of the lack of enforcement. 

Upon returning to school my child, who is an exemplary student having never had anything less than an A on her report card, ever, was removed from class and reprimanded for the nose ring and told that if she refused to remove it she would be placed in ISS until she complied. She was removed from regular classes and placed in ISS where she was not given her regular curriculum but instead instructed to copy the dress code from their handbook for the entirety of the day, thus diminishing quality of her education by causing her to miss important lessons and work which she will later have to make up.  She was very distraught. 

At the time she was removed from class she was instructed by another teacher to go and purchase a clear nose ring retainer and the teacher showed her that she had one in place herself and that no one would notice. She was told by another to cover it with a bandaid.  We obtained the clear retainer and she continued to school the following day. The older student also returned to school and was not reprimanded in anyway for wearing the same jewelry. 

On my way home from work my daughter called me extremely distraught and crying and said that she was being pulled from class again and placed in ISS. I went to the school to check my child out because of her level of distress. The counselor had not yet notified me or spoken with me about the matter directly and so before leaving the school I insisted I speak with her. I recorded the entire interaction which has been share via social media and I’m sure you’ve all viewed it at this point.  I recorded this footage on my personal phone and partially because as an officer I know that people will accuse you of false words or actions and video evidence of these types of interactions can clarify and discredit false accusations. I had not yet had time to change from my work clothes but the secretary requested Mrs. Ennis so that a parent could speak with her and I did not represent myself in an official capacity nor did represent that I was there in an official capacity whatsoever, which is clear in the video, my only intended or expressed role was as a parent. 

I do not encourage my child to break rules nor do I excuse breaking rules but I absolutely did intend to point out my disapproval of their selective enforcement of this rule from their handbook and the lack of fair and equal treatment which resulted in disciplinary action that affects my child’s learning environment and education while others are are not.

This rule from their handbook is not specific to her grade(8th) it is a school wide rule and should be enforced as such or amended to ensure that no student is affected differently and has the same opportunity to learn and enjoy their learning experience without judgement or discrimination as well as express themselves individually in a safe manner which is not offensive to another student or faculty.

I make no apologies for expressing myself freely or encouraging my child to do so. If this opens the door for change or correction, I will have achieved my intended goal without intentionally or purposefully offending a single soul. My goal here is to protect my child, her rights, her freedom of expression, and the quality of her education. I would hope that while a nose ring may seem trivial, the concept of selective enforcement (due to what can only be attributed to age discrimination) would infuriate other parents as well if it were their child being affected. 

It is my goal to encourage that the handbook be changed or amended in a way that allows students to express themselves without distracting or diminishing the quality of education for other students. I think amending the handbook would be beneficial to students as well as allow the faculty to equally enforce the codes within for the entire student body and not just a select few.