DAY one of the HSC last week was a "hair-razor" for this teen, who wonders if he should have packed some shaving gear in his pencil case.
The Sutherland Shire Christian School student, 18, was shocked when he was told to get rid of his beard.
"I was walking into the English exam and a teacher said, 'Why haven't you shaved?' " the student said.
"It was the last thing I thought of.
"It put me off in the exam at first — I do like to stroke my beard when I'm thinking."
That night, his mother got a call from the school.
"I was studying for my next exam, and they demanded that I shave before I come back," he said.
"I didn't want to be disrespectful, so I did.
"But I was disappointed because I'd been growing it since graduation."
Students are required to wear their full school uniform during exams.
"I knew the rule when I was at school — I was clean-shaven — but you're only at school for two hours during exams.
"I'm not damaging the school's image.
"I was on the leadership team and I've represented the school many times.
"It's not like I showed up messy.
"My beard was tidy — it was a bit longer than stubble.
"A couple of other boys had moustaches and no one said anything to them."
He said the school should focus on being "more positive".
"With the HSC stress build-up around exams you would think that they would try to support students," he said.
"Instead they are concerned with the small issue of enforcing rules that are not set by the Board of Studies."
But come the end of tests, the shire student's beard will make a comeback.
"I've got a long break before my next exam," the science whiz said.
"And hey, all of the greatest scientists have beards. A bit of encouragement instead of picking on such a little thing would have been nice."
RULES STILL APPLY AT HSC TIME
A spokesman for the Department of Education and Communities said individual schools advised students about what was appropriate dress for HSC exams, with many having similar expectations to what was required during normal school term time.
Sutherland Shire Christian School principal Nicola Taylor said the wearing of a ‘‘complete and correct’’ school uniform was a condition of enrolment.
‘‘We discuss the wearing of uniform in other contexts as a part of our cultural norm and expectation,’’ Mrs Taylor said.
‘‘At the end of term3, HSC students and their parents are advised of the need to adhere to uniform requirements and school rules during exams.
‘‘A quick check of uniform, as part of the overall compliance check for entrance to the HSC examination centre, is usually conducted.
‘‘Students will be reminded about uniform if needed [and] there are some items that may receive additional focus.’’
She said the Board of Studies required schools to have photographs of students so they could be easily identified by external exam officers in each exam.
‘‘If the student has varied their appearance in such a way that would make a quick check of their photograph difficult to match with their appearance on the day, such as a heavy growth of facial hair, the school would follow this through discreetly with the child and, if needed, their family.
‘‘[And] in a group context such as the HSC, we want students as a group to be focused on the task at hand and not be distracted by the appearance of others.’’
She said school staff were supportive of students during exams.
Do you think the school over-reacted?