A Singaporean mum received a text from her son on the first day of school saying that he was getting his hair cut. When she arrived at the school, her son was already subjected to a hacked-up cut with patches of uneven hair.
Madam Yeo, 43, was understandably upset that her 14-year-old son had to endure the disciplinary action of a severe haircut—then and there by a Springfield Secondary school staff member.
The parent called the police and the Ministry of Education (MOE) because she was so enraged with the situation. According to her, the son went for a haircut just four days before the school re-opened.
Seven cm of her son’s hair was cut off. Madam Yeo told a local paper: "Who gave the teacher the authority to do such damage? Shouldn't the school work with the parents and not act unilaterally like this?"
RELATED: Mum makes police report over school’s haircut punishment
The “statement”
Apparently, an allied educator had instructed the son to pen down different versions of the events that took place and it took him two hours to do so, until it was satisfactory. Madam Yeo shared: "The principal said it was a mere trim and that the teacher was doing his duty. We called the police but they said this matter should be addressed by the MOE."
She added: “If it was just a symbolic snip, a bit of hair cut off as a warning, I would have been fine (with it)."
Not the first cut
Apparently this isn’t the first time that the son had an issue with hair-length. He said: "It was around the middle of last year. The teacher cut off about 1cm of hair as a warning. It was fine after that - I didn't have to do anything more. My parents didn't even notice it."
Madam Yeo said: "This time, the teacher really went too far."
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“I keep seeing him touch his head”
Severe actions by schools can result in trauma, as Madam Yeo’s son did not want to attend school the next day. The mother shared: "His asthma acted up, he had to use his inhaler. I keep seeing him touch his head and it's really painful for me as his parent."
Every school has different policies and rules with regards to discipline. We are curious as to how you would react when your son comes back with a hacked up hair-cut by a school staff. How would you respond?
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Source: The New Paper
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