Facial-hair rule troubling to Philadelphia school police

Beset by the prospect of layoffs and struggling to curb classroom assaults, Philadelphia's beleaguered school police are aggrieved over another issue these days: a new dress and grooming code that bans goatees and "soul patches" but permits beards.

"This is going to prevent violence in the schools?" asked Michael Lodise, president of the union representing 635 part- and full-time school police.

His union filed grievances after Chief Myron Patterson, who took over school police operations last summer on loan from the city, formulated a new code.

District spokeswoman Shana Kemp said Patterson was seeking to address "ineffective past culture among school police officers" and establish "a sense of discipline among officers."

Besides the ban on goatees and soul patches - facial hair just below the lower lip and above the chin - earrings are forbidden for men on duty.

Only "neat" and "well-trimmed" mustaches and beards are permitted, according to the regulations.

Women are allowed one pair of small post earrings. No false eyelashes. Only clear nail polish - and nails can't be longer than an eighth of an inch beyond the fingertip.

Banning earrings for men amounts to discrimination, Lodise said. And he questioned the rationale for policing hairstyles.

"I want them to define facial hair," he said.

Kemp said: "Chief Patterson does not believe that earrings are an acceptable part of the uniform for male officers in our schools. Beards are allowed in order to make allowances for those officers with religious preferences and those with skin conditions that are affected by constant shaving."

The city Police Department also makes allowances for religious or health reasons but, other than that, bans beards. Mustaches are permitted. In fact, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey sports one - neatly trimmed.

"We're a quasi-military organization. There are certain standards of how officers should look," said Lt. Ray Evers, a police spokesman.

The department has similarly faced challenges to its regulations.

An officer filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in April 2010 saying her captain had ordered her to change her hair color. Department regulations ban "unnatural colors." Officer Renee Norman's commander said her hair was purple; she said it was red.

The year before, Officer Thomas Strain was assigned to desk duty until he agreed to cut his hair, which was in cornrows.

A spokeswoman for the commission said Strain's case remained under investigation. Norman's case was closed in June. The spokeswoman declined to discuss details.

In the School District, the union filed two grievances, one on behalf of an officer at Bok Technical High School who had worn a diamond- stud earring since he was hired in 2000, Lodise said. The second was on behalf of a district headquarters officer who grew his goatee into a beard to comply.

Other officers shaved their goatees.

"I have guys calling me every day about the grievance," Lodise said. "They want to grow it back."