It just took a few minutes for this principal to talk to the boy to find out if he was wearing a hat to school to be disobedient. Jason Smith used his clippers to touch up a student's hair rather than disciplining the boy for wearing a hat to cover it up.
Credit: Courtesy Jason Smith
When Principal Jason Smith was recently approached by one of his 8th-grade students who refused to take off his hat in class, he had a creative solution.
The student, Anthony Moore, explained to Smith that he didn t like his recent haircut and hoped to keep his hat on, despite the school s policy of prohibiting students from wearing them. Get push notifications with news, features and more. + Follow
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Though he thought Moore s haircut was acceptable, Smith understood the student s concerns. The barbershop and hair cuts as Black males is very important in the community and looking your best and being sharp it s just a cultural aspect, Smith, of Stonybrook Intermediate and Middle School in Indianapolis told CNN. Just from my being a Black male myself and coming through that culture and you know, I really think girls matter at that age, which [means] appearance then could matter.
Tessica Brown opened up to ABC7 s Samantha Chatman about why she put the product on her hair, which is opening up a bigger conversation about Black hair and acceptance. You know that age is a time for peer acceptance. It s huge, Smith said. And so a young man, especially an African-American young man, the barbershop is a big deal in the community. Looking good, and representing and presenting yourself is huge for kids.
While many online are saying this principal went above and beyond, Principal Smith would tell you he s doing exactly what he s supposed to do.
Not only because he s the principal, but because he s on a mission to change the culture of his school. A place where he wants to solve problems instead of making them worse.
A middle schooler was insecure about his haircut So his principal fixed it himself instead of disciplining the boy for wearing a hat wktv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wktv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.