JULINGTON CREEK, Fla. – A third-grade student at Julington Creek Elementary School was sent home Monday, on picture day, because of his hair color, his mother said
Luca Sinno, 8, didn't get to have his photo taken because he broke the rules, the St. Johns County School District said.
But Luca's mother, Dana Sinno, said she just doesn't agree with the principal's response.
Luca is no stranger to mixing up his style. This time, his mother told News4Jax, he wanted to go with a bold look for school picture day and they took Luca to get his hair dyed the color he wanted
"We bleached out the color and colored it blue. And he wanted to wear a suit this morning," Sinno said. "He got to school and I got a call from the principal's office that he was in the principal's office and that I needed to come get him from school."
Sinno said the principal at Julington Creek Elementary pointed to a rule in the district’s handbook.
The rule states, “Hair shall be clean and well combed or brushed. Extreme hairstyles will not be acceptable.”
Sinno argued that's up for interpretation.
"What's extreme to her is not extreme to me, or else we wouldn't have done it," the mother said.
A school district spokesperson told News4Jax the principal was well within her right, pointing to the note in the rule book showing it's at the principal's discretion what should be determined inappropriate or disruptive.
Sinno said her main issue is not with Luca’s hair, but that he had to miss school.
"It’s fine if she didn’t appreciate the color. But what really upsets me is that he got sent home from school for it and was told that he can’t come back until it’s colored," Sinno said. "She said, she didn’t care what I had to do to it, but we needed it to be normal."
Her son’s hair has already been changed back. But Sinno said the only student whose education was disrupted Monday is Luca.
Luca told News4Jax that none of his classmates thought his hair was a disruption and he wished he wouldn't have been sent home.
St. Johns County Schools emphasized it all comes down to the principal’s decision, and the district trusts that judgment in this particular situation.
Sinno said she believes the rule should be clearer.