Perth student sent home from school for having 'a boy's haircut'

Is this hair cut offensive? Photo / Channel 7

A Western Australian schoolboy sent home for sporting "a boy's haircut" has earned an army of supporters after his defensive mother vented her outrage on talkback radio.

According to his mother Sandra Fedele, Year 10 student Jake had gone to class on Monday to collect his exam results as required, but was promptly sent home because his hair had allegedly been cut too short.

Teachers at Corpus Christi College in Perth's southern suburbs had decided the trimmed sides of the Jake's hair could "offend" a fellow student or teacher, and that it was against school policy, but Sandra hit back.

"This morning he went to school on his last day to get his exam results, he's Year 10, he got told, he text me and said 'Mum, I've been told I have to go home, I'm not allowed to be at school, my hair's too short'," the concerned mother told 6PR host Gary Ashead.

Sandra explained the family had attended a wedding at the weekend, and so her son had his hair freshly clipped.

"He got it cut short on the sides and he's got it just a little bit long on top. It's not even two centimetres long on top, not like it's a long fringe down to his nose or anything like that," she said.

"He's just got a boy's haircut, literally a boy's haircut and he's got a side part."

The woman claimed teachers told her it was against school policy for students to have hair shorter than a standard number two blade cut, and so she went to a barber for proof her son's hairdo was within the rules.

After returning with a note from the barber that said her son had a number two cut, "but it could look shorter because he has fine hair", it was agreed the boy could go back into class but "he has to wear a hat on his head all day long".

Sandra said the justification for requirement of a hat was that the short haircut "may offend".

"How can that offend anyone? He's got to wear a hat now," she said.

"I said 'you're discriminating against my child'. It's just wrong."

In an interview with Seven News, Jake himself said he thought the school's actions were "stupid".

"I thought it was silly. I don't know why they stopped me for my hair, told me I had to go home. I think it was stupid," he said.

Since Sandra's on-air rant, Facebook users have been sharing posts about the interview, overwhelmingly in support of the student and his disgruntled mother.

Comments criticising the school had been posted to the school's Facebook page, but appear to have been removed.

News.com.au has contacted Corpus Christi College for comment.