Clipping penalty: 8th-grade Cincinnati Bengals fan suspended for haircut with stripes, logo

Associated Press

Last update: November 12, 2009 - 7:19 PM

HAMILTON, Ohio - A young Cincinnati Bengals fan has been penalized for clipping. Dustin Reader got the NFL team's stripes and "B" insignia cut into his hair as a tribute to the team's good season. When he showed up to school in the southwest Ohio city of Hamilton on Monday, officials put the eighth-grader into in-school suspension. The school said its code of conduct prohibits extreme and distracting hairstyles.

Reader's parents and barber said they don't understand why the haircut is out of bounds. His father said his son just wants to show pride in the 6-2 Bengals.

School officials said he will continue to do his studies away from other students until the hair grows back or he changes the style.

___

Information from: The JournalNews of Hamilton, http://www.journal-news.com/cgi-bin/liveique.acgi$schjnfront?jnfront