British school bars bearded boy

A British high school in Blackburn has barred a 15-year-old teenage boy for growing a beard, according to news reports. Harrison Cerami was banned by Ribblesdale High School for sporting the shaggy growth, the Metro newspaper reported. The boy's mother Kerry, from Blackburn, said her 1.87m son suffers from acne and shaving would irritate his skin. “He's just a good looking, hairy lad that wants to have a nice, trimmed beard,” she said. “I could perhaps understand the isolation punishment for something more serious, but to be put into a small room for a whole day is disgraceful,” added the mother. “Harry feels like he's in prison. If this carries on, we'll just keep him off school for the last two weeks,” she said. “Harry was furious. It was such an overreaction,” Kerry noted. But head teacher Simon Smith said the school in Clitheroe, Lancashire, has a long-standing policy on shaving. The school's uniform policy does not specifically mention beards. “Hairstyles must be neat and tidy and avoid extremes of colour and style,” it says.