An intellectually challenged Te Puke High School student has been barred from attending mainstream classes because he won't shave his beard, his father says.
Jason Pirini says that much to his horror, a staff member also gave his 16-year-old son Sheldon, who "has the mental age of a 10-year-old", a disposable shaving razor to remove his beard as per the school's clean-shaven policy.
"It's like giving a child a weapon," Pirini told the Bay of Plenty Times.
But the school's principal says the school has policies and procedures relating to this matter, and students and parents/caregivers sign an agreement when enrolling stating they will abide by the school's rules.
Sheldon is mainly a learning-unit student - a class of students with learning challenges - and had just got into mainstream classes.
Sheldon was placed in the learning unit aged 14 after he threatened another student on the school bus with a screwdriver and was suspended for six weeks, his father said.
After this incident, Sheldon went through tests which showed he had the mental age of a 10-year-old, said Pirini.
While Sheldon had not been formally diagnosed, Pirini said his son failed to understand the consequences of his actions.
He said Sheldon would still be able to attend his learning unit courses despite the ban from mainstream class.
Sheldon had been disciplined for the beard before he was given a disposable razor by a staff member who told him to shave his face at home on February 7, Pirini said.
Sheldon told the staff member that he was not allowed to shave but he took the razor home and Pirini said he then promptly threw it in the bin.
"Why on earth would you bloody do that and why wouldn't you let somebody else know?"
He said he was shocked at the treatment of his son and said in his view rules were being prioritised over education.
Pirini said in his opinion: "They're really bullying my son, because it's my rule that I don't want him to [shave] ... they're using his education as a weapon."
Pirini said senior school staff had urged him to make a proposal at the next board of trustees meeting at the end of March, meaning Sheldon would be barred from mainstream classes for the next month - unless he shaved his beard.
Former Te Puke High School student Brody Hide also faced a similar situation at the school this year where he was ordered to shave his beard off.
Principal Alan Liddle said in a written statement it was important parents and the school worked through the "facts of the matter and not engage in emotive language or opinions".
"The school does have policies and procedures related to this matter. In addition, this information is detailed in the school prospectus," he said.
"When students and their parents/caregivers choose to enrol at our school, they sign an agreement with the school stating that they will abide by the rules and regulations of the school as stated in the prospectus.
"The board sets school policies that are reviewed on a regular basis. Students and parents/caregivers have the opportunity to present proposals to the board on ideas and changes they would like the board to consider. No proposal has been made to the board regarding beards.
"I have met with the student concerned and his parents today (Thursday) to discuss this matter and outlined the process for them to use to make a proposal to the Board of Trustees."
In his statement, Liddle did not respond directly to Bay of Plenty Times' questions regarding how appropriate it was to give a student such as Sheldon a razor and if it was reasonable for a student to be barred from classes under these circumstances.
Ministry of Education deputy secretary sector enablement and support, Katrina Casey, said the ministry was aware of the matter.
Schools were expected to clearly communicate the rules to parents and parents should ask about these before enrolling their children, she said.
She said the school had a complaints process and she was confident that the school had followed it appropriately.
A Human Rights Commission spokesperson said the commission could not make a comment on the matter in case it became the subject of a complaint.
