A ten-year-old girl has been expelled from school after her teachers said her Cruella de Vil-inspired hair was “distracting” to other pupils.
Evie Smith dyed half of her auburn hair blonde to match her hair fave, Melanie Martinez, ahead of her Manchester concert later this month.
The American singer-songwriter is famous for her signature dyed hairstyle, inspired by Cruella de Vil from the hit film 101 Dalmatians.
But when Evie returned to Kincraig Primary School in Blackpool, Lancashire, for the first day of term, she was sent home.
The school informed her that she had to return her hair to its natural color before she could return.
However, her mother, April Smith, 35, has decided that Evie’s hairstyle will remain unchanged until after the concert on September 21.
She is now homeschooling her daughter.
A ten-year-old girl has been expelled from school after her teachers said her Cruella de Vil-inspired hair was “distracting” to other pupils. Evie Smith dyed half of her light brown hair blonde to match that of her favourite, Melanie Martinez, ahead of her concert in Manchester later this month
Evie, who is in Year 6, said: “I feel really disappointed with school. I’ve been singled out for my hair. It wasn’t distracting, it was tied up in a ponytail and no one touched it. All my friends think it’s cool but they don’t think it’s distracting.”
American singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez is famous for her signature dyed hairstyle, inspired by Cruella de Vil from the hit movie 101 Dalmatians.
Evie, who is in sixth year, said: “I feel very disappointed with school. I have been singled out for my hair.
“It wasn’t distracting, it was tied up in a ponytail and no one touched it. All my friends think it’s cool, but they don’t think it’s distracting.”
She added: ‘I like my hair because it means I can express myself freely.
‘I love his songs and what he wants to say in them lyrically because he tries to turn intimidating words into compliments.
“I’m very excited and all the songs are my favorites.”
April said the school had never before expressed any concerns about her daughter.
“She’s a smart girl, she achieves all her goals, gets good grades in school, is never late and never has any free time,” he said.
‘We’ve never had any complaints about Evie, all her friends adore her.
‘Being a child in this day and age, I think it’s very important for them to express themselves.
‘Evie is very calm, so it was a big deal for her to dye her hair.
“I thought it was great and I’m proud of her for not being different and for not following the boy.”
April suffers from fibromyalgia and arthritis and Evie helps her mother make tea when she is unable to do so and helps look after her three-year-old little sister Trinity.
Headteacher Karen Appleby said: ‘Kincraig Primary School, like all schools across the country, has a clear uniform policy which we expect our pupils to follow.
‘Sometimes students arrive at school with hairstyles or uniforms that do not comply with our policy.
‘When this happens, we communicate with parents and ask them to make the necessary changes.
‘In relation to this case, it is important to clarify that Evie has not been suspended.
‘Our priority is that our students learn in class with their friends.
“We will continue to work with Evie’s mother to ensure this happens as soon as possible.”
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