Meet Dustin Reader. Student suspended for supporting the Cincinnati Bengals
by Josh Kirkendall on Nov 12, 2009 9:46 AM EST
in Veterans of Cincinnati
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PrintWhen it comes to current events, or politics, I'm very vocal in my beliefs. It's nothing short of amazing that I've kept my opinion on non-sports matter totally mute on this site. Most likely, I always will. You come here for Bengals news and discussion and that's it. I'm well aware of that. But there is one issue out there that's somewhat related to the Bengals that might peeve you off. Meet Dustin Reader.
Dustin Reader, an eighth-grader at Garfield Middle School, received an in-school suspension Monday because of a haircut he received over the weekend in honor of the Cincinnati Bengals.
His barber, Chris Campbell of the B Street barbershop Razor Sharp, cut Bengal stripes on the sides of Reader’s head and a large capital B on the back to resemble the team’s helmet, and on Sunday, he colored his head and scalp to match for the game. The colors were washed out for school on Monday, according to his parents, but he barely got off his bicycle at Garfield when he was sent to his principal’s office.
The rule he reportedly violated:
Because it’s a discipline issue, school officials would not talk about it, but confirmed the suspension was for violating the school’s code of conduct, which prohibits “unnaturally colored hair, extreme/distracting makeup, haircuts and hairstyles.”
What's the lesson being taught here for young hardcore Bengals fan, Dustin Reader? I'm sure songs of certain new political leaders is just as distracting, if not indoctrinating than a haircut that supports a local team. It's the freaking Bengals, man. What about prep rallies where many students show their support with face paint and "unnaturally colored hair"? Does that apply? And who exactly is getting distracted by this? How many students would have sat mesmerized, like one of Tom Savini's zombies, of Reader's haircut?
I realize that school is a place for learning. And I suppose we learned that some schools would rather preach on the importance of fashion rather than teaching students on how to learn through distractions. We wouldn't want young minds to go through life having to face and work through distractions, like the babe on the first floor who winks at you every time you pass her in the hallway. Yummy. What's that? What was I saying?
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It could have been worse
Bottom line is the kid violated a rule. So he was punished.
The school could have handled this a lot worse and probably a little better. At least they gave him an “in-school” suspension instead of an out-of school one.
I guess they could have just given him a warning and told him that the haircut needs to be changed by tomorrow, but who knows…maybe the kid is a constant troublemaker and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. We don’t know all of the details.
As much as I appreciate his support of the Bengals, rules are rules. Sorry kid.
by BigJilm815 on Nov 12, 2009 10:10 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
It's a rule.
I like the idea Dustin. From the schools standpoint, if they let this young man bend the rule just a bit, then another kid will push the issue a little more. Then it creates a mess. So keep supporting Dustin, don’t take it personal what the school did.
I say we follow the principal home...
give him a similar haircut but for the Chefs. Then he’ll have to give himself a suspension. Who’s got the ether?
Rock it Dustin!
I remember getting the DAY OFF in grade school for the 1990 Divisional Championship. times have changed!
On another note: I appreciate Cincy Jungle keeping politics and non-sport opinion off the board in a professional manner. So many times i’ve been neck deep in a Reds game and had to listen to Marty Brennaman fire off some opinion on current events that left a bad taste in my mouth or pulled my concentration from the game (don’t get me started on Jeff Brantley).
I know for myself, Sport is an essential escape from the everyday world and is a great thread that ties strangers together with differing viewpoints together. That’s why i love it.
Off the tangent… let’s get back to Who-Deying the rock out of Heinz Field!
SWEEP THE DIRT!
by BrooklynBengal on Nov 12, 2009 10:34 AM EST reply actions
Okay, well...
I heard about a school system down here somewhere that had just banned any haircuts where symbols, letters or numbers of any kind are shaved into the student’s hair, because that might be an indicator of…yep, you guessed it…gang-related activity. I have no idea if that’s what’s in play in this case, but that’s what this reminded me of.
On another note, I’ve stated many times that I quit reading Peter King, not because of his incessant man-love for the Browns and abject hatred for the Bengals, but because he broke a promise (the column that followed Election Day 2008) to keep his personal politics out of his football columns, so I do appreciate the way you’ve carried yourself on this, your Magnum Opus…CincyJungle.
That said, I agree…c’mon, Teach…it’s the freakin’ BENGALS! It’s the local team! Who might he have been trying to distract? They washed the color out…the ’do will probably grow out in a few days! Cheese ’n Rice!
rules are rules...
this is just like the thing that happened at the bookstore i worked at in college. one guy violated the dress code by wearing a breast cancer awareness t-shirt. the rules stated you were not allowed to ear anything that promoted products or causes. the boss was a breast cancer survivor so she used her discretion to praise him and let it go.
the next day, a guy comes in wearing a gay pride and equal rights t-shirt. the boss flipped out and told him he had to go home and change or he would be fired. he eventually got fired anyway for standing up for himself and calling the boss a bigot, etc. but i learned my lesson that day—you don’t mess with rules, and conversely, you enforce all rules you have in place regardless of their magnitude.
i get that. tough break, kid. you should have consulted the handbook before being a fan.
Rules need context
Did anybody hear about that elementary school kid who was suspended for bringing a utility tool to school because he wanted to use the spoon part of it during lunch? Obviously he wasn’t dangerous and he obviously meant no harm, so what exactly was the point of suspending him? It was sort of a lose lose situation. The kid loses valuable learning time and the students are not safer with him gone.
Shouldn’t there be some sort of leaders or panel that can make reasonable decisions when rules get broken? Maybe the circumstances around Dustin warranted a suspension, but from the facts that I saw, it seemed a little ridiculous.
This is our year!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot.
Who Dey Dustin! See you in the Jungle someday!
This is our year!
by Paul Cannon on Nov 12, 2009 11:32 AM EST up reply actions
Re:
i think most of the outrage about the kid with the camping tool is that he was expelled indefinitely because of zero-tolerance. obviously, that’s a bit overkill. Dustin received an in-school suspension… big deal. they’re not that bad and he’ll be an example to the other kids that the school doesn’t make exceptions.
i agree that there needs to be a panel for things like the camping tool, weapons, etc. sometimes people rush to judgment without realizing certain circumstances. i think expulsion is necessary if it was the third time he brought it to school and he tried to stab a teacher with it. but those are the things you find out in a hearing with the panel.
Wrong Title
The title of this post is just flat wrong. This has nothing to do with the Bengals whatsoever. The kid could have gotten the same haircut with a Steelers logo cut into his scalp and the result would have been (more happily) the same.
To try to twist this into outraging Bengals fans by saying it has anything to do with the team is ridiculous. The question is whether or not the school should enforce their written rules on haircuts. And frankly, that topic doesn’t belong here, regardless of whether you agree or not.
Would I be happier if he got suspended for a Steelers haircut instead of a Bengals haircut? Of course! But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s just about the haircut and nothing else.
The "fan behavior" here is a kid getting a Bengals haircut.
Yawn. I am here to read about the Cincinnati Bengals, not really to debate school rules. And yes, fan behavior is a good sports blog topic since you ask the question. It’s just more interesting when it actually involves a football game somehow.
Like the drunk dude that ran onto the field at PBS and took the ball from Brett Favre during the game…now that was some fan behavior…and damned funny to see in person too!
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