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Hair Color Causes Controversy at Area School

By: Emily Finnegan

CARTERVILLE -- A local 7th grader spent more time in a hair salon Monday than in class.

Madison Peterse, 12, added some red highlights to her dark hair last week during spring break. When the Carterville Intermediate student returned to school Monday, administrators told her she'd have to go home.

Carterville Intermediate is one of several area schools that have a hair color provision in the student handbook. The goal of those measures is to minimize distractions in school.

But Madison's mother, Dorothy Petersen, believes her daughter's red highlights weren't a distraction and thinks she should have been allowed to stay at school.

Dorothy was shocked when Madison called Monday morning. Her daughter explained the principal had seen the new red highlights she added to her hair over spring break and sent her to the office.

"The vice principal called me back and said she could not attend school until we did something with her hair because it was not acceptable," Dorothy said.

The school handbook outlines the hair color policy; any student attempting to draw attention to themselves with an unnatural hair color will be asked to change it.

Dorothy and Madison insist it wasn't about getting attention, and they thought red would be a safe option.

"I actually wanted my hair to have red highlights in it because my birthday was coming up," Madison said, "So that was going to be kind of like cool, different."

"I deterred her from going to green or pink or orange or something like that. I said red, that's a more natural color," Dorothy told News Three.

The district explains the handbook--including the hair color rule--was written by a committee that included teachers, parents and students.

Dorothy says she's most upset that Madison had to miss school over the ordeal. Madison wasn't too happy about that, either.

"I was like no! Because school's like one of the things I actually like to do," she explained.

"If I had to do it again, I'd just leave her hair alone. Because honestly it's not worth the trouble. Her education is what's important," said Dorothy.

The assistant superintendent did agree that Madison could remain in class Monday if she promised to change her hair color before school Tuesday. Dorothy had already left work to pick her up, and Madison had already lost time in the classroom. So Dorothy made the decision to take her daughter to the salon to get her hair fixed.