TANGLEWOOD, Calif.- Eighth grader, Mariah Alvarez is tickled pink over her newly dyed hair, but when when Mariah walked onto campus at Arellanes Junior High School Thursday morning, she says officials weren't impressed by her pink streaks.
"The vice principal had me wash out, well he wanted me to, and then he had me go home and had my mom come and pick me up," explained Mariah Alvarez.
When Mariah's mother told the vice principal the dye wouldn't come out right away, "Mr. Aldaco said that we have funding and we'll give you 15 dollars for Mariah to dye her hair back," said Dianna Alvarez, Mariah's mother.
"I didn't have a choice, and the thing is he sent me home and he expected my mom to bring me back by lunch time with the color out of my hair already," said Mariah.
No where in the dress code does it state anything about a student dying his or her hair a certain color. Central Coast News contacted the school to find out why Mariah was sent home.
"This girl has never been disciplined nor was she ever denied the right to attend school we want her here," said Stacie Rivera, Principal of Arellanes Junior High School.
The principal said it was just a miscommunication and they wanted Mariah back at school; but her mother says it all changed when Central Coast News called the school.
"They said they got an interesting call from you and that they want her back in school and don't worry about it. I go, don't worry about it? I think they were scared because they didn't want it go to the media because so many girls had been sent home already," said Dianna Alvarez.
The principal would not go into detail about the conversation between school officials and Mariah because she said it would violate privacy rights. As for Mariah, she says she plans on going back to school Friday even if her hair is colored pink.
