by Lisa Fagan

Created on: January 08, 2011   Last Updated: June 20, 2011

All right. Here's another frivolous lawsuit. The parents of a 14-year-old Greenboro (Indiana) Junior High School student are suing the school because he had long hair. He was on the school's basketball team. The team's code of appearance  requires the players to have hair above the collar, the eyebrows, and the ears. The coaches said that he could be kicked off the team if his parents protested the policy. Instead of accepting it and taking him to a barber to keep him on the team, both the student and the parents decided to "fight for their rights" in court; claiming discrimination. The school district says that extracurricular activities is a priviledge; and not a right. The team's grooming policy did not violate the student's rights.

What discrimination? Where was the discrimination at? The team has an appearance policy. The players cannot have long hair. They either have to keep their hair short, as well as follow the rules, or else, suffer the consequences. You tell me where there's discrimination!

My brothers, my sister, and I all went to school during the 60's, 70's and 80's. If we did something wrong, the teacher would tell my parents, and boy, did they punish us. They didn't play games when it came to messing around in school. In fact, when my brothers and my sister went to Catholic school, they had to follow a dress code. The boys had to wear a white dress shirt and a tie and the girls had to wear uniforms. My brother went to an all-boys Catholic high school, and they didn't allow the boys to have any type of facial hair.

I went to both public and special education school, but still I dressed appropriately. If I wore something that my mother didn't like, she would tell me take it off and put something else on. My parents taught us to respect and obey authority, as well as to pay the consequences for our actions.

Lord have mercy! What hat on earth is this world coming to? Instead of teaching their kids right from wrong, parents are running to a lawyer and the ACLU saying that their "rights have been violated" and crying "discrimination. Well what about the rights of the other students, the parents, the teachers, the principal, the coaches, and the school district?

Let's face it: rules are rules. If you're on the job, you have to follow the company's rules and listen to your boss or else you're fired. Well the same thing goes for school. If the school has a dress code, then you follow it. If the basketball team doesn''t allow players with long hair, then you either go get your hair cut, or else get off the team. It's as simple as that. That is not discrimination; that's accepting responsibility.

Parents need to put their foot down and teach their kids right from wrong, as well as payi the consequences for their actions. We wouldn't have all of these frivilous lawsuits if parents took responsibility for their own kids and their actions.

I certainly hope that the judge in this case throws this frivolous lawsuit out. It is nothing but a waste of the court system's time and the Indiana taxpayers' money!

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