The policy is right there on page 56 of the 2014-2015 AMSA Student-Parent Handbook, in the subsection “accessories” of the dress code guidelines:

“Unnaturally colored hair dye (i.e., purple, orange, green, etc.) is prohibited.”

Although this rule has been included in the handbook for many years, members of the student body have begun to protest the stricture this year.

“I think it’s ridiculous and based off standards that aren’t true, like the standard that it’s not professional and that you can’t be respectable if you have hair dye in your hair,” senior Aly Shoemaker said.

Aly created a petition with one of her friends when school resumed in August, to voice students’ unhappiness when some students were told by administrators to fix their colored hair and get into compliance with the dress code.

Although the petition has yet to be seen by a member of the school administration, Aly said that it had more than 100 signatures.

“I would emphasize students should exercise their voice if there is a rule or matter at hand that they don’t agree with,” Vice Principal Rick Porter said. “Something that they could be bothered or thinking about might be something administration wouldn’t be considering or thinking about. By bringing it to the table, it could create discussion where changes can be made.”

Sophomore Lorraine Canavan is one of those students unhappy with the rule. She has displayed her disagreement with vibrant pink hair, although it has faded significantly since the start of school.

“We don’t feel there’s anyone not meeting the code at the moment,” Mr. Porter said.

Still, it’s the principle that has students annoyed.

“We get to cut our hair the way we want—why can’t we be able to dye it the way we want?” Lorraine asked.

Lorraine dyed her hair pink over the summer and when she returned to school, Student Affairs Coordinator Mike Nawrocki told her that it had to be changed by the following week.

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She was unable to wash away the pink over the long weekend and was given another deadline to correct the violation. Since then, however, she has sported a muted version of her colorful hair without any issues.

Mr. Porter stressed the topic would be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

“We’ll give them time if necessary [to comply],” he said. “It’s a world in which people want you to conform.”

The idea is addressed specifically in the handbook, which states on page 53 that the dress code “helps children understand the difference between professional and casual dress and that what one wears often colors how one acts.”

Senior Andy Meindersma thinks it’s all much ado about nothing.

“I think that there should be action that could be taken to make it less restrictive,” he said. “Why does it matter if I color my hair pink or purple or blue or all different colors? It doesn’t really matter what color my hair is—it doesn’t change my ability to learn and it’s not really distracting anyone.”