In 2012, 10-year-old Rachel Neeley got permission from her father, Charles, to color her hair with Kool-Aid during a sleepover with friends. After the sleepover, Charles tried washing the dye completely out, but to no avail. As a result, Rachel's blonde hair was streaked with a faded blue color when she returned to school after the weekend.
But Rachel's school did not approve. Administrators at Sunman-Dearborn Intermediate School in Bright, IN, said the fifth grader's blue streaks broke school dress code. They sent her home with a suspension note.
Charles, a single dad, said he was absolutely shocked when he got home from work and learned Rachel was banned from returning to school. The suspension note said she could not return until all of the hair coloring was completely gone, and her hair was back to its original blonde. Both Charles and Rachel thought the punishment simply did not fit the "crime." "I was aghast," Charles said. They also thought it unreasonable when administrators said the unnatural hair color disrupted other students.
The Kool-Aid proved to be stubborn; even after many attempts to wash it out of her hair, traces of blue remained. Rachel was terrified that she was going to fail the fifth grade.
In the end, the principal allowed Rachel to return to school before Charles could completely remove the blue coloring.
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