Sharp and neat - Barbers, hairdressers stick to school grooming rules

The back-to-school rush is in full swing, with barbers and hairdressers putting in extra hours to make sure students step into class neat, stylish, and in line with school regulations.

In Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, and downtown Kingston, the clippers and combs have been busy ensuring no child walks into class with a style that could land them in hot water.

Ruth "Netty" Johnson, a well-known stylist on East Queen Street, said parents are taking school warnings seriously.

"Some of the schools put out their warnings and parents just work with them because them don't plan to do the extra spending," she explained.

Johnson said that while young females often ask for stylish looks, her job is to balance creativity with compliance.

"The girls them want cute hairstyles and they get them, but the flaunty edges against some school rules, so we ensure we don't do that," Johnson said.

"People don't have the money to waste, cause look in here, you don't see a flock of people filling up the shop today. Them already cut them son hair, or style dem daughter hair for orientation. Them nah go pay for a redo so soon, and dem definitely not going to waste money by getting the wrong style," she added.

At Netty's Beauty Salon, barber Alex Smith said his years of experience have taught him how to deliver the perfect "schoolboy haircut."

"I've been doing this for years, and parents nowadays make sure come with them kids and leave instructions on how to cut their hair," he told THE STAR.

"I know what a schoolboy haircut is, and that's what I give them when their parents come. If them ask for the tape fade, mi make sure ask them if them sure, and remind them that they have to pay again if they have to come and fix it."

Smith explained that while some barbers accommodate trendier requests, he sticks to what schools demand.

"My clients know the school rules and me know it too, so mi just work with that. Them did have all of summer fi get the styles them want. I don't do the line up with the dye that some teens would opt for," Smith said.

Some barbers will do it, but not me."

The message is consistent across the industry. Shane 'Cutta' Fletcher, another barber in Half-Way Tree, said as both a professional and a father, he sees the importance of discipline.

"Mi have three son and them nuh live wid me, a country dem deh, and mi haffi tell you say mi rate how the barber dem a move. Cause all when my big son tell them bout jersey, the barber call me and ask," Fletcher said.

"We are professionals and we give clients what them want, but we are also parents, so we agree with the schools."

The stance of the barbers aligns with the Ministry of Education and Youth's National Student Dress and Grooming Policy, rolled out last year. The framework requires schools to publish clear grooming codes that balance discipline with fairness, while also respecting cultural and religious expression.

Under the National School Hair Code, natural and cultural hairstyles such as locs, braids, cornrows, afros, and plaits are protected. However, flashy designs, wigs, dye jobs, and certain add-ons remain prohibited unless schools grant exemptions. Hair must always be neat, clean, and safely secured if long.

Now that September has arrived and classrooms are reopening, students who experimented with bold looks over the summer are expected to fall back in line. As Fletcher put it: "We are parents too and when school call for discipline, we just trim based off what the school say."