“We thought this would be a nice attendance incentive, behavior incentive, and then just something for the kids who just need a pick-me-up, who do good all the time. We just wanted to reward them,” said Camille Rucker, attendance officer for the Springfield district.
The barbers have been doing this for students since the 2015-16 school year, starting with Lincoln Elementary and opening their shop the first Monday of each month just for those students.
The coronavirus pandemic caused the barbers’ outreach to slow down, but they have been determined to get it back up and running, opening it up to all Springfield City School District students.
“It’s just to give back to the community, help the kids who might not get haircuts, because I know how it makes me feel when I get a haircut. It makes me feel a lot better, and I want them to get a chance to feel that when they get theirs,” said barber Joe Rucker.
The haircuts are used as an incentive for good behavior and attendance and to provide students with fresh haircuts.
Rucker said it’s been hard to get students back to school since the pandemic, so they felt this would be an “extra tool” they can use to re-engage the students.
The barbers will have this event the first Monday of each month for the rest of the school year.
“They are aware of what is going on in the community, they understand what our families are up against, and they want to do what they can to help out,” Rucker said.
The haircuts were initially given to both boys and girls when this event started because they had a unisex salon, but now it’s just a male salon, so they’re in the process of finding an incentive for the girls in the district.
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