Can you get kicked off a cheerleading team for having different colored hair?

Question

I have bright red in the front of my head. It isnt against school rules, and theres no written cheerleading rule saying no. Theyre saying if i dont dye it back i'll get kicked off...I think its discrimination. Its my individuality. is there any thing that would prove me right in this situation?

Answer 1

Is this HS or college? If it is HS then NO! they cannot kick you off! Coaches can kick you off for missing practices, games, bad behavior, etc. If you are in HS I would take this to a principal or vice principal. Usually schools have you sign codes of conduct, so I would just get that and show them there is nothing in there about hair color or anything remotely related to having a different hair color. If you are in college then yes, they can b/c it's much more subjective and the coaches can basically do what they want. Good luck!!

Answer 2

I would definatly bring this up to your principal or better yet - super intendent. In no way should anyone as a school official tell you you have to lose wait to do anything. I'm sure they will get in big trouble and they deserve it. Maybe she has something against you and is trying to find a way to make you quite or get off the team - 5'7'' and 110 lbs.... that sounds to me to be more than perfect for a cheerleader. When I was HS there was a girl about 5'5'' and 145 lbs and she did just fine! Tell someone - please. This person does NOT deserve to be and educator let alone a coach.

Answer 3

It's only illegal if it's something that doesn't even remotely serve a team purpose, like kicking someone off because they're black. Lots of cheerleading squads (don't ask me why) want everyone to look exactly alike, and most of them have other standards for appearance, such as wanting each person's hair to be one color.

Although they technically have the right to be b*tches and kick you off, I'd still talk with them about it. Maybe you could leave your hair the way it is and use some cheap hair dye to cover the front at games or pep rallies. Those are the ONLY times when your appearance is their business.

Answer 4

I don't believe someone can actually be kicked due to their hair color. If it is not written in the school rules, or in the cheerleading rules then there is no grounds for the kicking. If they are, it can be classified as discrimination, possibly by the instructor, and you should bring it up with the school principal first, and move your way up the command chain.
Make sure it is definitely your hair that is being threatened though by talking to the organizer if you haven't already.

Answer 5

difficult question ... answer might well depend on how hard you are willing to fight, i.e. who is willing to give in because it it simply is not worth the effort to win. unfortunately schools are notorious for finding hard headed individuals (well, univeristy is not better from my experience) who will dig their heels in over the most trivial issue and fight not because they are right or because it makes sense ... but because they are on a power trip in their otherwise meaningless and insignificant life ...

to prove "discrimination", you will have to show how they have treated you differently than someone else, i.e. do other girls on the squad dye their hair ... now the question becomes why it is different for you to dye yours ... if they allow one person to dye their hair one color (no matter how innocent that color may be) they should allow you to dye yours as well.

since it sounds like there is no rule, either school or cheerleading sqaud, specifically against dyed hair, the question is what gives them the authority to state which colors of hair are acceptable and which are not. unfortuantely, they will probably go on some vague and very subjective rule that regards "appearance" or "image" as a "representative" of the school.

Since cheerleading is not required school activity you have less clout though legal remedies (as far as I know ... but I am not a layer). Since you are still a minor, the courts typically give the school a lot of power under a legal theory called "in loco parentis" which essentially gives them the power of parents in place of parents when you are involved in school sponsored activities or events. I think this is typically what allows to schools to squash civil liberties and constitutional rights (freedom of speech, anyone?) pretty much at will.

depending on how much you are willing to risk your position of the squad and how hard you are willing to fight (fight fair, write letters, get a lawyer ...) will give you your best shot at winning although this is not a guarantee. A letter from a lawyer (probably gonna cost you $50 will at least let the school know they are about to get hit with a lawsuit and might make them cut and run ... this is if a lawyer believes you have a case a court might hear)

good luck!

Answer 6

Oh, you are so not going to like this. Shut up and dye your hair back the way it was. What individuality? You are a kid, a member of a team....act like a member of the team. Discrimination? At your age, you do not have the vaguest concept of what that word really means. When you get out of school, get a job, pay some taxes, and contribute to society, then you can bleat about rights. Until then, you are getting an education on my tax nickel, so learn something and quit worrying about rights you haven't earned yet.

Answer 7

Honestly, I wish you could keep the bright red hair. However, being on the squad is a privilege, not a right. I know there aren't any written rules, but I'm afraid they can kick you off if they want to. You may encounter situations like this later in life, especially if you enter the corporate world. It's just the way it is.

I recommend dying your hair back, but if you choose to stand on prinicple and not do it, I wouldn't blame ya.

Answer 8

It's not discrimination unless they are objecting to your natural hair color. They have the right to uphold a standard, and perhaps the punk look isn't up to their standards. It really depends on what the policy is on removing people from the team. See where your principal stands on the issue. If the principal agrees with you, then your set. If not, then you have a big fight in front of you. It will require getting your parents involved and talking to the school board.

Answer 9

If they had it in writing BEFORE you joined the squad it would be understandable. I think you have a case. Fight it.

AND WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE IF YOU HAVE BRIGHT RED HAIR!?!?!?!? Next they'll be discriminating against skin color!! Geezm. You'll have to conform to society soon enough if you want to be out in the corporate world. High school/college is a time for exploring who you are and showing your individuality.

My kid is almost 13 and I keep telling her - "If you want to wear weird clothes and dye your hair some funky color - DO IT NOW! 'cause society is gonna getcha soon enough!"

Good luck!

Answer 10

somewhere in all the red tape is something that states you are a representative of the school and shall have conduct and behavior that represents both properly. It seems to me that your hair is not in the schools vision of proper representation. If you have rich parents you could fight this for a long time and take it to court, its been done before. Just remember you are a representative of your school and I feel you dont want a hair color issue to be the defining thing or event about you thats remembered for years to come.