Zachary Sharples, a Lincoln Middle School seventh-grader, wanted to show his love for the Tampa Bay Rays.
On Sunday, when the Rays lost to the Chicago White Sox, forcing Game 4 in their American League Division Series, the 12-year-old had his chance.
Zachary got a mohawk, just like some Rays players have worn during their pennant drive. He sprayed it blue and rooted for his team.
So many players and their fans got mohawks that they started calling them 'Ray-hawks.'
Before Zachary went to bed, he made sure to wash off the dye so he wouldn't get in trouble at school the next day.
But the boy's 1-inch mohawk still earned him an in-school suspension Monday, said his father Kevin Pennington. Zachary was told he violated dress code.
"I did nothing but sat there," Zachary said Tuesday. "We couldn't talk, it was stupid."
Zachary was given two choices by the school, Pennington said.
He can either shave his head to be allowed back into his classes, or let his hair grow out - in in-school suspension.
So Pennington, whose family moved to Ellenton in the summer, decided against sending him to school Tuesday.
"My son is a diehard baseball fan. He's not a bad kid, he doesn't get into trouble," said Pennington, a magazine art director. "All you see in the news right now is about the Rays. . . . Now 500 to 1,000 people are walking around with mohawks. It's not offensive."
The hair isn't really an issue, he said. The school did not inform him or his wife that Zachary was in suspension until he told them later in the day.
The Herald could not reach Curtis Davis, Lincoln Middle's principal, for comment.
But the principal was firm in his stance, with the school district's support.
The district's dress code forbids hair styles that could be a distraction to students, and gives a principal full discretion to maintain the code.
Though mohawks are not named in the code specifically, it's still a hairstyle the district won't allow on campuses.
"Some schools are a lot more specific with their expectations," said Angela Essig, the district's director of secondary schools - and a Rays fan.
The parent could have called and asked first, she said. And there are many ways students can show support to their favorite team without resorting to a drastic hair-do, such as wearing a shirt with the team's colors.
"A mohawk is an unusual haircut, and it draws comments from the kids," she said. When students start commenting on it in class, "it's hard for teachers to calm them down."
Zachary said he will probably return to school tomorrow, and spend another day in suspension.
But he has other things to look forward to.
The Rays are set to play the Boston Red Sox on Friday in the American League Championship Series, and the young fan will be moving back to St. Petersburg and returning to his old school, Meadowlawn Middle.
"I think I am going to have to sit in that stupid classroom again. But we're moving this weekend," Zachary said. "It's just three days before I go back to my old school. My old school is pretty cool."
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@