The Lorain Horizon Science Academy in Ohio is facing heat from the natural hair community after a copy of a letter to parents that included a ban on afro puffs and ‘small twisted braids’ was posted online.
The letter details changes to the dress code for the upcoming school year and includes the line:
Afro-puffs and small twisted braids, with our without rubberbands, are NOT permitted.
It’s unclear what the administration means by small twisted braids, but if they are referring to box braids they are banning a protective style that black girls have worn for generations. Afro-puffs are essentially the black version of the ponytail (when pulled back our hair puffs out instead of laying down), and yet the rules do not have a ban on ponytails for students of other ethnicities.
It’s unspecified whether this ban applies to both male and female students, or male students alone.
The dress code restrictions highlight an age-old struggle that naturals face from both within and outside of the black community. Our hair is viewed as radical, funky or unruly in its natural state, and restrictions are sometimes placed on us in academic and professional settings that do not extend to our non-black counterparts.
So far the school hasn’t issued a response or explanation of this dress code item.
What do you think ladies? Is this a fair restriction to include in the dress code? Why or why not?
A copy of the letter is below.
***UPDATE: Just received word that the school has lifted the ban. Here is the letter they issued today:
437 Responses
Not for nothing, but how are other kids going to see behind a nappy birds nest? I’m jamaican, and I’m tired of hearing the black community always complaining and relying on “it’s because i’m black” no, it’s not because you’re black, it’s because your a sad individual, that’s why
the follow up letter is simply hilarious:
“we’re really really sorry for being racist (expletive expletives) and we promise it won’t happen again. honest”
I’m glad that they lifted the ban
I would never send my child to a school like this. This is crazy!!! I sure they don’t say their white counterparts can’t color their hair or have outlandish haircuts!! This is sad.
I’ glad they lifted the ban! very ridiculous
themanecaptain.blogspot.ca
They are always sorry when they get caught. Sorry asses!!!
This really pissed me off at first, and then I read the line about how “hair beads are permitted as long as they do not pose a safety risk”. Now I’m just confused. If they object to styles that are popular in the black community, why would beads be the exception? Also, what are black girls supposed to do with their hair if both braids and puffs are outlawed? Are they requiring chemical relaxers be used on these little girls?
I agree with Mouse, though. “Draft copy”, my ass.
Chloe – they clearly mean your hair beads have to be in the upright and locked position. (Or they will fall out and cause other people to slip on them.) 😛 😛 😛
But on a more serious matter, when I was in elementary school they banned afropuffs and flat tops for a while because they were so tall that kids couldn’t see over them. You could put your hair in a pony tail – but it wasn’t allowed to be more than like half an inch above your head or something. LOL
You have got to be kidding me. I’m nearly done with heavy duty chemotherapy after cancer that’s left me with a nearly bald head, only thing I’ve got left is ghastly Gollum straggles – I had to cut off my waist-length beautiful thick hair off before what was left fell out. I DREAM about having hair again – ANY hair. These kids should be able to wear their hair however they want, revel in it, braid it, spike it, pouff it, dye it purple, have some fun with it. White kids should be able to come in with African styled beaded cornrows and Afros and the black kids could show up in a Marie Antoinette three story high do with a boat on top. JUST ENJOY HAVING HAIR, GODDAMN IT. How dare anyone tell you what to do with it.
“Draft copy” my ass.
I really would understand if the rule applied to everyone, but this rule is directly targeted to one ethnicity only. This could have long-term effects on young girls who actually like their afro-puffs. Now their school is telling them they’re not allowed to have them as if it’s something they could change. All schools should accept everyone, even if they may have different features. We’re all Human, no matter the color of our skin or the texture of our hair.
This is absolutely ridiculous. I would like to know what the reasonings were in the first place. And in regards to “smuggling” something in your hair that is a ludricous statment. You can smuggle items practically anywhere. One of the mistakes they made is not to rationalize the purpose for the alleged “draft.” They knew exactly what their purpose was. They just didn’t expect the amount of feedback they received and now they want to “act” as if they’re so sorry. It’s protocol. They now look like racist idiots and they are stuck with their tails between their legs. The little angel is beautiful!! As most little children are. I want to know WHY they did it!!
Thats ridiculous. And i think by small twisted braids they mean the when you put pigtails and twist the ends in a two strand style. And that would pretty much rule out any hair style besides cornrows for the little natural children of that school. This shouldnt go on unchanged
I feel this is very absurd, it’s basically saying they don’t want diversity in their school. It’s like they want everyone to look how they think is “fitting” for a young girl. A girl that age can’t do anything to control her hair texture without damaging it chemically. They’re really saying if they have to have African Americans in their school, they at least have to try to look like them.
Um, ladies, I’m a somewhat conservative white chick, and the initial ban and speedy backtracking even made ME say ‘wow’. Clear racism, no two ways around it. I take it that the entire school board is white and over 60? Not only that, but the dress code was obviously written by someone lacking a dictionary or a 3rd grade education. (In that, at least, they are preparing students for adult life — most corporate dress codes are written by the same people.) I’m guessing they only retracted the ban because the school’s lawyers slapped somebody’s wrist. Couldn’t help but notice they also banned jewelry, so no religious symbols then — except, of course, for headwaear. So, they’re afraid of offending one group, but those who wear a religious symbol as a pendant or a pin are facing discrimination? Wow. Just wow. So glad I’m not a parent of a child at that school.
I’ll say this, there is a reason for every rule and there’s a reason that they put that in there. I won’t judge or get angry with them until they give a reason. For all we know someone could have smuggled something in the school in their hair (you shake your head to the now but I’m 3 years out of a “bad” highschool, I’ve seen people smuggle things in school in crazy ways. But like I said there’s a reason for every rule something had to have happened.
I’m not even sure why there’s even a question of what we think. This is RIDICULOUS.
I have a hard time thinking that racism and control in schools still exists. Have we not as a society learned anything from our history? Why do they have to ban “afro-puffs” and not just say ponytales. Are we still too ignorant to put value in equality? I for one think that if it doesn’t hurt anyone or bring harm it has no reason to be banned. Natural beauty should be appreciated and beautified rather than be over run by societal norms and euro centric ideals. I am white, my daughter is biracial with afro-type hair and want her to grow up knowing how beautiful she is and that her hair is a cultural beauty and she as a person should shine and thrive regardless of the ignorance of society.
This is racism with all its ramifications. All the parents should be steadfast and guard against this.There should be a complete boycott of this type of institution.The attention of the administrative authorities of this area should be alerted to protect the interest of the kids and the blacks who are also citizens with all the human rights like those having the white color. Administrators who are promoters of gender equalities should be sacked or banned from holding posts of responsibility.
When I shared this story with my partner he became furious. In his eyes this dress code is offensive to more than just ththe afro-american community. He thought of the Native American that isn’t allowd to cut their hair by tribal law. The young orthodox Jew who wears pais (the curls on the side of his face), the young man who has committed to wear it long for various reasons. Its not just a race reason its an individuality reason. Can someone please tell me how would having any neat hairstyle effect my learning ability.
Are they kidding? Once again, society wants to determine what they consider appropriate and what is not. Our hair is beautiful in its natural state. Our hair poses no mental, physical or health(have you heard of lice? problems. They are still trying to hold us down and here is another example, our glorious natural hair.
UNFAIR: If my child is in uniform and hair is nice and neat in any style then it should be acceptable. I dont understand how these adminstrators come up with the notion that this is acceptable all of a sudden. Who offended you to take this out on the children who just want an education. Now they have to worry if they look acceptable or white enough for this school board. Man when will it stop?
BEWARE OF EDOM of the Caucaus, for he is the Beast
BEWARE the BEAST MAN, for he is the Devil’s pawn. Alone among “AHAYAH’s” creations, he kills for sport, lust and greed. Yea, he will murder his brother Jacob to possess his brother’s land. Let him [not] breed in
great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his mountian lair, for he is the harbinger of DEATH. He is the Eagle of Obadiah, Esau of Malachi, of Rome, Idumiea, of the
Caucas. With his Star of Moloc and flag of Eagle;
Yea, he kills for sport. He is EDOM ! Beware !
BEWARE the BEAST MAN, for he is the Devil’s pawn. Alone among “AHAYAH’s” creations, he kills for sport, lust and greed. Yea, he will murder his brother Jacob to possess his brother’s land. Let him [not] breed in
great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his mountian lair, for he is the harbinger of DEATH. He is the Eagle of Obadiah, Esau of Malachi, of Rome, Idumiea, of the
Caucas. With his Star of Moloc and flag of Eagle;
Yea, he kills for sport. He is EDOM ! Beware !
I’m white and have been following this issue. While the apology and retraction of the obviously racist dress code is positive news, I’m still unsatisfied as to what their rationale was in the first place. I have no doubt that racism was at the bottom of it, whether the decision makers were aware of it or not, but I still want to know what they told themselves as to why this was an appropriate policy.
I’m with you Julie, I want to know how they rationlized that awful decision. Do they view afro puffs and braids as a radical political statement? Not sure, but when I first saw the picture of the beautiful little girl I thought of myself when I was 7 I have a school picture with my afro puffs and they were that big! The kids used to tease me and say that I looked like Mickey Mouse… but I loved my puffs!
That is absurd. That is not fair to the girls whose hair is afro-textured. They can’t help the fact that that’s how their hair grows. I am glad parents addressed the school. I hope that all women/girls with curly wavy kinky coily afro textured hair, continue to embrace what God has given them.
This is just ignorance.
A Draft Copy my a**….they know full well they meant to send that out. It shouldn’t have been in the draft to start with. I’m glad people put some heat on these folks. We can’t help our natural hair texture and I’ll be happy with Afros are not taboo and symbolic of Rebellion. It’s hair and that’s the way it comes out then it should be the norm.
Unfortunately it seems that white people are still trying to “control” african americans. I’m not racist and I have white friends but this is another ignorant effort to control what they don’t understand. Our hair is not silky and straight,nor does it lay down.GOD made it that way and he seemed to like it so screw whoever elese has an issue with it.either they are extremely jealous or just stupid to think that the world that is full of asians africans hispanics and tons of other ethnicities should have to conform to anglo european looks. Nobody ever says to a white person your hair is too straight or too blonde to work or attend school here so why should anyone need to look like a caucasian.this story is old.and people in this country are still RACIST. I bet those people on the schoolboard in ohio are claimcing to not be racist but they are because the definition of being racist is to think that your own race is supreme to all others.obviously they think their race is supreme because they want everyone to look act smell and be like them.that leads me to conclude that any race that doesn’t appear caucasian is not good enough and must do whatever they need to do to look “better”.HOW DARE them.
“I’m not racist,” but “white people are still trying to ‘control’ African Americans”? Look up the word “racist,” because that is what you are being by saying this. Don’t generalize a race and then say you aren’t racist.
As a Caucasian, I found the initial hair code highly offensive. Believe me if my hair wasn’t fine and board straight, I would poof it myself. Thank goodness common sense prevailed.
Again? Seriously? I think all of the parents should do braid outs on their children’s hair in solidarity. All of the parents of every race. They have traumatized these Black children behind this. Some of them may not have even thought anything about their hair before. Now they’ll feel awkward going to school. Young people have fragile enough psyches as it is. Growing up seeing advertisements made me feel insecure about my hair. And that was without my school saying anything. This could interfere with their studies. The parents should sue.
KEEP IT UP…..JUST KEEP THIS BS GOING AND HERE IS WHAT I PROMISE TO DO..
1- ALL THE ATENTION YOU CAN HANDLE – BLACK HAIR IS ON PEOPLE OF ALL COLORS.
not only do some black children have afro puffy hair I’ve seen plenty whites with a thick old afro – Hispanic and Asian too.
2 I hope not EVEN ONE BLACK PERSON BREAKS THE RULE INSTEAD REMOVE YOUR MONEY FROM THIS INSTITUTION FAST.
3 I HOPE ALL FAMILIES REMOVE THEIR CHILDREN FROM THIS DEMONIC PLACE THEY ARE NOT TEACHING UNITY.
4 THIS IS WHITE SUPREMACY- WE ARE SO OVER THAT OLD ISH..
5. BOETTOM LINE KEEP TYPING/KEEP PROTESTING/KEEP YOUR MONEY IN POSITIVE PLACES PERIOD.
6 MY CHILDRENS BEST FRIENDS ARE WHITE AND HISPANIC – WE ARE A BLACK FAMILY-
7 WE WILL NOT BE SET BACK IN TIME – WE WILL FIGHT TO STAY BONDED AND MOVING FORWARD IN RACE RELATIONS.
8 WOMEN NEED TO UNITE THE WORLD MEN NEED OUR GUIDANCE.
9 HATERED IN THIS FORMAT SHOULD BE REVIEWED – WHO EVER IMPLEMENTED THIS SHOULD BE FIRED THEY ARE DESRUCTIVE TO THE POSITIVE STRUCTURE THIS SCHOOL COULD BRING!
10. WHAT ABOUT THE FACT HAIR STRAIGHTNER RUIN ADULT HAIR AND CHILDRENS HAIR IS TO VIRGIN FOR IT THAT IS WHY THEY ARE USUALLY BRAIDED OR PUT INTO PUFFS.
GOD PLEASE SAVE THIS FOOLISH PLACE IF I CAN BE SALVAGED IF NOT DROP IT LIKE A PILAR OF SALT FOR IT’S FULL OF HATED AND DIVISION. INTERNET EYES ARE NOW WATCHING YOUR SCHOOL.
This makes me SO ANGRY!!
I am seething.
I would say the black parents at this school have solid grounds for a law suit. I would donate money to their campaign, and I’m not even living in or from the US. Just horrified that black people have been asked to hide themselves in order to be appropriate for a majority white world.
Educating the “educated”…
Natural hair is beautiful for young girls and of all ages who desires to be chemical free! Schools are just going to far some rules are understable however, there is too much concern with us as a people and how we look the focus should be the education in schools. Proud to be natural!
Ridiculousness…#weSTILL havealongway2go!
Lorain is my hometown and although I am unfamiliar with the “Lorain Horizon Science Academy”. The state of mind for some individuals there remains nostalgic and sorely out-dated. I can say by experience that I am not surprised by this unjust rant against natural hair. Sadly Lorain has other issues that should be a greater priority… i.e.: disproportionately high number of teen pregnancies, high unemployment rates and a struggling local economy. I’m besieged to observe that things have not progressed much over the last several decades.
The facilitators of this school should prioritize the specifics of the students educational achievement not forcing them to change their hair texture… that’s like asking a black person to bleach their skin to match the new school uniforms. They may have had good intentions but we’ve been down this road before. Intentional or not; this is racism!
This schools needs to be shut down, boarded up and fined. What a disgrace and what a throwback to the kkk days
They Live!
Obey
Submit
Consume
No individuality
I wouldn’t let my child go to a school full of Scabs!
what on earth are they supposed to do with their hair! loooool
I’m a white girl, and I’ve always loved the look of natural black hair. I hope natural hair comes back into style not just because it’s cool (and IMHO looks wonderful with African features), but because none of us should have to spend time and money trying to be someone other than the best version of ourselves. In diversity lies beauty.
Jess said it best. JESS, I could be your friend. This world needs to be populated with more people who think like you and me. Thank you for your words of wisdom and inspiration.
I honestly think the tone is set from the surroundings..Ohio is a VERY insensitive state towards black people and a lot of black people there have ‘self’ issues themselves..not surprising.
I honestly think the tone is set from the surroundings..Ohio is an VERY insensitive state towards black people and a lot of black people there have ‘self’ issues themselves..not surprising.
Maybe these people are so used to seeing black people with wigs, weaves and other straight hairstyles that they are now thinking that’s our natural hair. Now that they’re seeing more of us wearing our hair natural they think our real hair Is fake or unnatural
This is ridiculous. Something similar like this happened to me at work. I have been a natural for three years now. When you become a natural it is as if you see life in a new light. My hair is unfavorable in the white and black community. When ever I did wear a protective style I was told by an black employee “oh I like it better when you have you hair in a poof” and again by another executive employee(black) was told that Bantu knots were unprofessional working out side in the heat as a valet attendant. If you ask me this is just another form of racist-ism and we all know racist-ism does not care what color you are. People at times may just feel uncomfortable about certain things that are different or that just don’t understand. Who can blame them, were only human.
Well, no comment from me after this. This is my third and last. I think if the Turks are smart they might want to consider closing all of their schools in this country. The school apologized. Where would they get a book in Turkey about understanding black hair culture? It’s a no win also because if they asked some black people some of us would only get offended and say they’re being racist for even asking.
I personally think something absurd
For all of you giving the school a “they don’t understand the culture pass…” IT’S THEIR JOB TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE CHILDREN IN THEIR CARE!!!
Concerning black hair, I should have also mentioned in my previous comment about this Turkish run school, that I wore an Afro in Turkey like I still do now and have for many years. The first time I worked there I had my hair permed, but I let it grow out because there was no one to perm it. I doubt if any perm kits can be easily found there. I was told by some of my Turkish colleagues that they liked my natural hair better than the processed once my perm had grown out. I’ve even had some Turks ask how did I get my hair that way and can they. I’ve also dated a Turkish man, and I often wondered that if he had been African-American would he have had a problem with my hair and wanted it permed. He said he liked my hair. The Turks can’t be viewed from an white American perspective. Their culture is totally different. There are some who come to America and to fit in with the racial climate to get ahead they might become racist, but in this case because they apologized and seemed to want to reach out, I just don’t think this is a case of racism. I feel they made a mistake out of ignorance.
As a black person living abroad i can one hundred percent agree that people from other countries learn to be racist in or directly related to AMERICA
I can understand why people are upset. I was vehement at first myself. However, when you think about it, this is just a simple case of naivety. The staff obviously had no idea what hair of African descent does (They did not even know the proper term for dreadlocks). They must have believed that we work hard to make our look a certain way to stand out, when it actually behaves that way on its own or with little manipulation–just like ponytails, french braids, or loose hair for other races. In a way, our entire race did this to ourselves and the children have to suffer for it and fall into the mindset that being black is inherently wrong in order to be taken seriously. There is nothing wrong with customization such as relaxers, heat styling, wigs, weaves, and extensions when you are old enough to make that decision for yourself. But once everyone in the world sees that younger and younger children are getting these things done to them, they see it as the norm. WE see it as the norm. I am sure that the staff at the school expected the black children to simply chemically process their hair, cut it, or flat iron it. But it is sad when parents of any other race can elect to keep their children away from dangerous (physically and mentally) alterations for as long as they raise them, but Black parents have no choice.
One of the commenters mentioned previously that the school is Turkish run. It is. I researched it because the name seemed like the type that the Turkish Gulenist schools have and I see the principal’s last name is a Turkish name, Arslan, .
I have lived in Turkey and I would say that it was probably a cultural misunderstanding. The Turks are generally not racist towards black people. I have taught in Turkey several times and always felt welcomed and more accepted than here. It’s 98% Muslim, but I felt safer huge Istanbul, a city of 15 to 20 million, than here. There is little violent crime there, but now the country is going through a lot of political unrest.
African-American author James Baldwin left the US in the 60s and lived there a decade to escape the racism here. Later he moved to France. A book about his Turkish years came out a few years ago.
That the school apologized and made no lame excuses shows that they were sincere. Some Turks even braid their little girl’s hair, but they probably don’t allow them to go to school that way. Turkish schools and business life have very strict dress codes. All Turkish children wear uniforms to school. On all my jobs the dress codes were stricter than here. Men who work in offices and teach in schools often where suits and if not the jacket a tie. Women have to dress nicely on the job. There are secular and conservative Muslim styles for women. In general many Turkish people are more careful about their appearance than here especially at school and the workplace.
They don’t understand about black hair texture and may have thought the Afro pops looked too edgy for a schoolroom. I know their culture well. I have traveled to Turkey 7 times and taught there several times since 2003. Many Turks quite fond of black people.
Fethullah Gulen is a Turkish cleric who lends his name to these charter schools. He ran afoul of the Turkish government and left some years ago to come here to the US where he resides in Pennsylvania. He is a controversial figure in Turkey. Most Americans have never heard of him before. Many Turks say he is CIA and is trying to undermine their country from over here. Gulen says he has not connection to these schools except by name. This network of Turkish charter schools is the largest in the country, and there have been some problems with them about money especially. Their curriculum tends to focus on science and math. The movement they stem from is the Hizmet Movement which has many followers in Turkey. Some say they have a hidden Islamic agenda, but they say their ideals are charity to help others and dialogue among people of various religious faiths.
I could be wrong, but I believe at the root of this was a misunderstanding of culture and not malice and racism. I feel their apology is sincere.
My father worked in Turkey for awhile and loved it. He said people were very welcoming and he never felt singled out or discriminated for being black. The apology definitely sounded like a sincere apology instead of the standard excuses you usually hear. I hope they truly understand why people were so upset and do more research in the future before setting similar rules while in a different culture.
I hear what you are saying, but it doesn’t take someone to be familiar with a certain ethnicity to know that prohibiting practically all hairstyles that a certain ethnicity wears is offensive and singling them out. How could any human being not know this is discriminatory? And I get tired of people giving that same old excuse “well, they aren’t used to dealing with/being around Black people/culture”….Black folks are EVERYWHERE…on every continent, in every country and in every city…people need to stop making it seem like we’re aliens and we require a special set of instructions to deal with… we are PEOPLE…I grew up in an all Black school district and when we had a few white children eventually enroll, no one treated them like different creatures even though they looked different, had different hair and spoke differently…it’s just innate that you treat your fellow man with respect, despite the differences.
It is a Turkish school America–Ohio even! I want to so bloody believe they meant ALL students or should have said. I can understand not having too fadish or outlandish hair style…like the military they have standard and that’s good. However, the moment they singled out a particular race, THAT’S what makes it wrong! #ournaturalhairisbeautifulasisperiod!
Where is a petition against this racist conduct?
anyone else catch that the word “not” is mentioned several times throughout the guidelines but the only time it is in all caps is in the sentence about the black hair styles. As if the biggest offense is wearing natural hair. Clearly it’s an embarrassment to the school. SMH
I can guarantee that had I received their policy handbook, not only would I file a suit, but I’d withdraw my child from a school that is very inconspicuously narrow minded and ignorant.
That BS “apology” is hilarious. Guidelines aren’t put in place without thorough review. It’s maddening to think that thought that crap would be adhered to and accepted.
Natural: existing in or caused by nature, not by humankind.
What else could the mothers possibly do to their children’s hair? In the letter, it clearly states that they do not allow non-natural hair. Ah, now if that is so, would it be more acceptable for the children to walk around with shaved heads? Because having a perm or relaxer in their hair is certainly not natural. Afro puffs are not acceptable by their rules. Braids and twists are possibly the only way to manage the unique curl, and to look presentable for the schools high expectations. But what could one feasibly do to make sure the hair is natural AND kept orderly (for the school)? They are not being reasonable. I am sure they’ve not thought any of this through with a careful and thorough examination of the nature of our hair.
Looking over everything, my best guess would be to say that they are just merely misinformed about natural hair.
I saw that the natural hair must be clean but yet they wanted to ban natural hair(puffs and braids) as if the implication is that afro hair is not clean. This is a disgrace because most people wearing their hair the way that it grows out of their head is clean and I mean very clean. This is straight up discrimination and mess like this shouldn’t be tolerated in this age!!
Well, we already knew they didn’t respect us, apparently they think we are ugly and so is our hair, why do we still do business with them, I will never know. We are always trying to force them to accept us, accept yourself, its a much better feeling. Also, don’t send your child where they are not wanted!
Also I forgot to mention that they are just jealous because they can’t rock their hair like ours, lol!!!!!!
Like and agree with your comments L 🙂
The really sad thing is that they either a. Were targeting hairstyles for black students with the intention of penalizing them for not changing their hair to fit in with everyone else, or b. are so ignorant that they think if you try hard enough Afro hair won’t be a puff when you pull it back. I’m not sure which is worse! I went to a private school where I was one of very few black students, and none of the hair dress codes singled us out like this but a degree of neatness was always possible without silly restrictions. Doesn’t seem like an extremely welcoming environment there.
“Afro-puffs are essentially the black version of the ponytail (when pulled back our hair puffs out instead of laying down), and yet the rules do not have a ban on ponytails for students of other ethnicities.”
Exactly, because I was about to say…that’s a LAWSUIT waiting to happen! Glad to hear that the ban has been lifted because having natural hair myself, protective styles are super important for achieving length and for low manipulation on the hair. Besides, what were these people at this school thinking???
FAILED, asinine, and ludicrous says it all! Let us be MORE concerned with what goes into the head vice what’s on the outside!
#absurdtimesonetrillionthey
arefromtheplanetstupidanduneducatedperiod!
This is absolutely ridiculous. -.-
How could they have possibly even imagined that that wouldn’t have been offensive to anyone? I swear prejudice is still present. Even in this modern day century. It’s a shame that sometimes natural hair is ridiculed or criticized in the workplace…but now in schools? Ugh. This is truly an eyesore to me.
Their second letter doesn’t say they lifted the ban. It says they’re “taking the matter seriously” and “taking the necessary steps to correct the information.”
One certainly wonders, though, just what they thought Black girls were supposed to do. Shave their heads? Use straighteners? “With our without rubberbands”? Because those matters are important, two!
It is very clear what was meant by the small twisted braids without rubberbands. They are called “locks”. Whoever wrote that ridiculous ban is defintely prejudice because all of those styles refer to the black community. I think I would find another private school to put my child in.
Thank you all for your care, attention, and feedback:
Horizon Science Academy of Lorain would like to inform you that the necessary steps have been taken to address the concerns of the community with regards to our dress code policies. We have made the necessary corrections to the policy and want to apologize to whomever it may have offended. Horizon prides itself on diversity and will continue to help all of our students become successful.
Also, Horizon Science Academy of Lorain has provided a link below to inform you of the letter we are sending to our parents about this situation and to reassure you that we have resolved the matter.
https://www.horizonlorain.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DressCodeWebsiteLetter13-14.doc.pdf
If you have any other inquiries regarding our school, please feel free to contact Mr. Bendik- Dean of Students- Email: be****@***********in.org
Respectfully,
HSA Lorain Administration
1- https://www.horizonlorain.org/
2- https://www.horizonlorain.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DressCodeWebsiteLetter13-14.doc.pdf
3- https://www.facebook.com/theconceptschools
4- https://twitter.com/conceptschools
Yeah, you apologize because you got backlash, not because you really care :/
The nerve of you all picking on little black kids because the hair that grows out of their scalp is “distracting” to you….GET A LIFE!!!!
Why not take this ridiculousness to another level…have all the students shave their heads to a buzz cut so everyone can have a uniformed look. This is APPALLING!
This is so funny that in this day and age people who are so advanced have gone so backwards. Are we still talking about african hair now, really. They used to have these rules in the early 1990’s in South Africa when you went to what was classified as “model C” schools. Why on earth would they do this is ” in the land of the free” in the 20th century come on !!!
Cause this ISN’T the land of the free. The Divided States of America is full of shit!
This is a great country, but it does have its flaws like every other country on this planet where citizens have no say and no venue to voice their displeasure and no independent choice. The US is NOT “full of shit”, my ancestors did not fight for a country that is “full of shit”. There is always progress to be made and this is yet another example of where rising up against discrimination yields results.
Your ancestors did not FIGHT for this country they fought for freedom from it. Literally no one came to this country by choice besides the Indigenous Americans.
Secondly, the basis of our whole government is derived literally from the fact that the country has been “full of shit” since its inception. We colloquially know them as amendments. Other countries having flaws do not excuse nor lessen the flaws within this one.
It isn’t even a American owned school. Turkish.
Shhh, don’t spoil it for the American hating “queen” above RMFE And even if it were an American school, it would not be representative of all of America.
How on earth does a hairstyle influence a child’s learning abilities?
What’s even more frightening is that these are the type of people that are responsible for these children’s education!
I love how the “dress code” states hair should be in its natural and “clean” state yet it bans afro puffs and braids…with a huge NOT permitted. They knew what they were doing when they wrote this, it seems to target eccentricity, especially that which is noticeable in minorities, specifically, black folk.
Really, this is just a long list of social conformity. It’s sad that as much as we think we’ve advanced as a human race, we’re really just advancing to a worse state. Children should not be pushed into conformity and have their individuality starched, pressed, and cut out of them. Good school or not, I, personally, would not pay for my child to go to a school (which I’m pretty sure this is a private school) that will force them to hide their individuality.
This is scary…discrimination and extreme conformity.
I guess the administrators only get to share one brain.
This ol’ cracker boy is stunned and appalled. What on Earth were these people thinking? I don’t care if they did back down, I’d want to know what kind of mind would even conceive of a rule like that: who came up with it, and what is their explanation? I’d wonder what else these people have in their brains about black kids and black nature.
Thank you. It’s nice even people outside a group who’s been insulted or wrong stands up for them .
Your a good dude…still in some strange way I’m offended by you calling yourself cracker 😉
Dang it! TYPOS
** it’s nice WHEN
** YOU’RE a good dude
iPhone typing gets a bit tricky 🙂
We Honky-Americans can use those words about ourselves. Frankly, I was never able to get myself worked up all that much about “cracker”, “redneck” or “bubba”, as long as you didn’t disrespect us as a people. (Many Southerners fought for the Union; and there were always some Southern whites in the abolitionist and civil rights movements.)
Who cares?
In some schools are heads and caps not allowed inside of a building.
Is that also racist?
What if I wanna have some crazy spikes or some kind of wacky punk hair style and they don’t let me?
Is that also racist to caucasian punks?
Whatever,it’s the schools right to forbid type of wear or hairstyle,so don’t you be such a little wimps about it.
It’s obvious that you “J”, are white and do not understand or don’t care. We the curly and kinky haired folks will fight against anyone or system trying to define us in 2013 and beyond.
J,
I don’t know what ethnicity you are and I really don’t care. All I know is that this comment displays your ignorance to the African-American culture and ethnicity. Of course it is racist that this school banded Afro puffs and braids. Kinky, curly, Afro textures hair is how hair naturally grows out of an African Americans scalp. So by banning Afro Puffs and braids the school is saying that you need to either cause physical and unreversable harm to yourself and chemically relax your hair to achieve a European look, or you will not be allowed in this school. By enforcing a rule like that the school is sending a message to African American children that the way you were born was a mistake and not beautiful. This is just not acceptable and I would sue the pants off any school or organization that enforced discriminatory stipulations and messages on myself or my child. Culture yourself a little and learn why this is a painful and hurtful topic in the African American community.
Let me try to splain this to you gently. If you wanna have crazy spikes at school, your hair better grow that way naturally. Black people don’t have to do anything to their hair to make it poof up. Braiding is a good solution to recalcitrant hair, trust me, I have learned to braid.
But if you want crazy spikes you actually have to do something with goop to yourself and hang upside down with a blow drier to accomplish it.
Apples and oranges, my honky friend.
I bet if they said hijabs and burkas weren’t allowed all of the Muslim community would rise up and there would be hell to pay. This is a disgrace and I would like to know who and or what entities were/are behind this. Obviously this was only directed at African Americans, our hair type is different from every other culture’s!
Somebody must’ve started throwing the “c.a.l.” phrase around; Class Action Lawsuit lol.
Hey, did anyone else read the OTHER rules? My Lord these people are crazy!
LOL. Our voices were heard!!!!
This is ignorance in a sad degree. Braids and puffs is a legit hair stile that is a common way for people with wavy, curly hair to wear. What they are saying is ” ‘look white’ and you’ll fit in”. Then the letter looks like “oops, we made a mistake”
a draft my *!#*.
JESUS DID DIE BUT HE DIDN’T LEAVE ANYONE IN CHARGE. WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE TO DETERMINE WHO CAN WEAR WHAT TYPE OF HAIR STYLES. HOW CAN YOU DENY MY PEOPLE THE OWN CULTURAL HERITAGE. MAN THESE PEOPLE ARE OFF THE CHAIN AND IN VIOLATION. THEY JUST WANT TO COME UP WITH SOME BS IN HOPES OF ALL THE BLACKS QUITTING AND LEAVE THAT OLD RED NECK PREJUDICE SCHOOL. THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT MANY OTHER RACES, MAINLY WHITE ARE BRAIDING THEIR HAIR, WEARING DREADS, AND A FEW HAVE DISPLAYED AFRO PUFFS. BUT IT TRULY IS ONLY DIRECTED TO THE BLACKS. DON’T FREAKING TELL ME HOW TO STYLE MY HAIR NOR MY CHILD’S HAIR. WHAT THE HELL DOES A HAIR STYLE HAVE TO DO WITH A CHILD’S EDUCATION.
So, it’s a “draft” when they get called out lol
This is serious problem and we have to fix it for our children. We can not allow anyone period to place judgement, discriminate, debase, disgrace, Dishonor disrespect African Culture and African Identity ever again. Not only do we allow others to decide what we can and can not do as African people but we fall short of respecting our own cultural identity. We teach others to what to think and how to think about us and teach them on how to have meetings to decide if we can be us. This is ignorant, racist, Disrespectful, dishonorable and this is a disgrace to the human race. In fact Afro-puffs, cornrows and BoxBraids are the origin of all beauty, grace, esthetics, charm and cultural hierarchy. In 2013 we take back our Identity. We fight for the right to be curly, kinky, coily and tightly textured. We stand up against all laws that try to smite out the light of our Ancestral Identity. We stand, we embrace, We untangle the roots of our culture 1 Afro Puff at a time. The ancestors are rejoicing in heaven in honor of those that stood up with dignity and pride against this unconscionable act of violence against Black children.
This is well said and absolutely correct, Our children deserve this respect, as parents we must stand in that gap.
We’ve never met but I love you Isis! You pave the way for many in this community!
Ban afro puffs and braids? They might as well ban black people.
How did they think this was okay in the first place?
Turn over some rocks at that school and expose the bigot who decided to ban people’s hair. And since we certainly do not want toxic bigotry around our children, fire him or her.
They can work for Animal Control and try to ban poodles.
Smh! I have never in my life heard something like this before. Afro puffs and braids is something that african american people have been wearing for years. And to say that it should be banned from school, is just ridicilous! Those kids are there to learn and to get an education. Okay…. this sounds like discrimmination.
Did anyone notice that they also do not allowed dyed or “unnatural” hair. So the only option is…..what? Shaving it off?
“Your genetic make up is not permitted”.
WOW, isn’t that some bull.
More “hit and run” racism. Do the isht, then apologize. It was INTENTIONAL and they are being nasty arsejerks for no reason. If they’re going to ban traditional black hairstyles, they need to ban ALL hairstyles … including HAIR.
Boys have their hairstyles regulated all the time, but its only “racist” now that girls are having their hair regulated? I’m not saying it was worded in the best way. But if guys can’t have their hair braided or in mohawks, why is it so wrong for girls to have their hair regulated?
1) Both gender performances have their hair regulated in various situations.
2) This is considered racist due to the fact that the rule targets african americans. Both men and women. We realize that. However the comments are from the point of view of the commenters that are women* so that’s why there is a focus on the “afro puff” and “small twisted braid”. What other race would be targeted by that? Honest question.
3) Also, hair braids aren’t gender specific. Women braid their hair too. They also have mohawks….what might your point be?
John, because only the black girls are having their hairstyle regulated. You seriously have to be told this??? Really?
C’mon John. Asking for no mohawks isn’t as ridiculous as asking asking girls to go out and treat their hair with noxious chemicals. Do some research about what goes into “relaxing” hair. IMO it’s brutal. This particular debate is about a history of subtle oppression not just a school dress code. It’s bigger than you think.
Not to mention how serious an issue a woman’s natural hair is! I bet their inbox flooded instantly.
This is so absurd. Something like this happened at my job when I was working at a restaurant in high school. They had a “new” dress code which said “no afros”. I was the ONLY person in the entire staff with an afro. All of the other waiters came up to me saying the new rules regarding afros were ridiculous. I didn’t even flinch because I really wish they had approached me telling me not to wear my natural hair. It would have cost the company too much in lawsuits to even implement such a stupid rule. None of the managers EVER approached me trying to implement that rule. I continued to wear my wash and go, 4c afro every single day without hesitation or complaint. To any of these ridiculous rules, I say: try me! The lawsuits aren’t worth it.
Ever since I learned a better way in my teens, I’ve detested racism in any form, no matter who is throwin the shade.
If this place of “education” was able to get away with this one, they’d only push for more.
KWIS?
It was good that all of those who stood up to “the man” in this and brought it down.
Seems that these places are wannabe prisons instead of being halls of education as they should be.
They need to be TOLD that their job is to teach rather than infringe upon what is endemic to any race and/or ethnicity.
BTW-That girl is the pic is really a cute kid.
I hope she has good parents~~both of them.
Kids deserve a good home and parents who will stand behind them.
If kids are given a good start, they’re more likely to finish good.
Peace
For the ones who see this as nothing. You don’t know if you were never that child in the first place!>>(Juan)<<
Interesting that one of the first things mentioned was that hair had to be natural, clean and well groomed. Afro puffs worn by blacks IS our natural hair. Having said that the students that perm their hair, including white students would be violating the dress code.
Here comes the Being black “victim card” again! ANd it evodked just the response you were hoping for: a skewed biased unrealistic comparison to people of other ethnicities with ponytails that stay low. Your so-called hair-natural balls of hair can very well be “groomed” better. That too is a deliberate choice like wearing unsightly over-sized unncessary glasses trying to make a loser statement!
Be gone troll, your powers don’t work here….
Lol go away, love.
Your ignorance is not wanted. Educate yourself, please.
If the comments don’t tell you why people are bothered then maybe race relations are something beyond you at the moment. It’s never to late to be socially aware.
“unrealistic comparison to people of other ethnicities with ponytails that stay low”
Juan let’s follow your logic and for arguments sake throw out afro puffs for their possible ability to disrupt if they are a certain size and/or length. Since you speak as if you are so knowledgeable of these hairstyles, I assume you are aware that braids and twist lay flat. Considering that small twisted braids were also part of the code, please explain how that fits into your argument that “your so-called hair-natural balls of hair can very well be “groomed” better”. Obviously, from your statement above you are using laying flat as an indicator for better grooming. Wouldn’t braids and flat twist fall within these lines? Why would you leave this important factor out of your argument? Perhaps the race card is being played on your end in an attempt to skew the argument in order to insult the readers.
@ “Juan”:
Are you sure that your real name isn’t Tom? or Jim Bob? I think I recognize you!
“Becky”
LOL! You’re TOO obvious!
@ Juan…NO ONE IS PLAYING THE RACE VICTIM CARD! COME ON, DUDE! What EXACTLY do you suggest we do with our hair…since you said it can be groomed better?! Shall 10 years old and under get a perm/relaxer? Natural hair balls, as you say, look like that and it is groomed. It won’t look bone straight like a Caucasian person’s ponytail because our natural roots are curly not perfectly straight. #RE-EDUCATING THE WORLD ABOUT NATURAL BLACK HAIR–A NEW ENDING TASK!
I heard the school has reversed the policy which is great. Would it be possible for anyone who works, volunteers or has a child at that school or in the community to let the kids know what happened here? I think its important for them to know that they have adults out here who stood up for them, were looking out for them and demanded that they were treated with respect. It’s a good lesson for them to learn and hopefully when they’re adults they’ll do the same for their kids.
I am a 37 year old black woman who has has natural hair. On one hand I can see how this is viewed as discrimination and on the other hand you have to be a student sitting behind this girl in class who cannot see the chalk board or whatever else maybe going on in front of her because her hair is obstructing your view.
If teachers decided to sit these kids in the back of the class because of their hairdo’s then that would be considered another racist move. I think sometimes we get so caught up in the race card that we forget to see the big picture. Ultimately this is about the education of our children. In the wise words of Will Smith’s Parents Just Don’t Understand…”You go to school to learn, not for a fashion show.”
Yea but how long has black girls been wearing this hairstyle and it has never posed a problem before? Please. You just got someone there in the school system who’s got issues. Plain and simple.
Jluv let’s follow your logic and for arguments sake throw out afro puffs for their possible ability to disrupt if they are a certain size and/or length. That still leaves small twisted braids which were also part of the code. As a woman who claims to wear natural hair, you would be very aware that 1) this is used as a protective style and 2) braids and twist lay flat. So perhaps you’re the one failing to see “the bigger picture” as your argument clearly falls apart when you add this important factor.
JLuv is not a “Black woman”. I see racist trolls like this on other boards all the time. They always state up front that they’re “Black”, then go on to use terminology that no Black person EVER uses.
The ONLY time I have EVER heard “the race card” usage is from racist whites or racist non-Blacks. So you’re not fooling anyone, my dear. Go home TROLL.
Wearing our hair the way it comes out of our head is not a fashion show.
Sorry.
If that’s why you’re natural, awesome. Some of us don’t do it to be seen as “fashionable”.
Furthermore, some people don’t have their children, girls and boys, wear their natural hair so that it can be a fashion statement.
I am a teacher as well and my question to you is…what do you do when there’s a tall student in the class? I think that with effective conflict resolution & social skills they’ll work it out in the same fashion that we do at the movies and other places… adjust and keep it moving. As educators, we must always realize that what ours students learn today may affect them always.
@ Jluv…me thinks you’re a troll…
Since when is it appropriate to force children to risk their health to indulge another’s race’s preference? Chemical straightening is toxic. The foundation is a type of lye. It will burn skin, blind if splashed in eyes and studies have shown cancerous lesions in test animals. I choose to wear my hair has God created it. If that does not suit you, please feel free to contact Him. Your blatant racism and ignorance is exposed.
The Afro-puff is a time-honored little girl tradition (tied with elastic loops and different colored plastic beads). Unclear from the guidelines as to how this disrupts learning or makes an unsafe environment.
Very silly. Very unnecessary. Oh, yeah, and very racist.
I think it’s the first step to segregating the school system. It indirectly says that they don’t want people with naturally curly, coiley, kinky, or nappy hair going to their school if they choose to wear afro puffs or small braids. I guess we must endure a chemical burn or become like “Black Skin Heads” if we want to go there. Anybody for shaving off your little girls hair? That’s a FLOP. Whatever we do, we better not show our hair. I wonder if a scarf is acceptable? Maybe they will let the little girls show up looking like Aunt Jemima. Is that against the dress code too. Oh, wait… is melanin against the dress code too? I forgot to ask.
Nope, we can’t have scarves either. Just read the entire list of “Dont’s”.
As an educator and black female, I express my sincere disappointment with the position of this school’s policy. If as much effort is placed on what is “inside” the heads of students rather than how they wear hairstyles, the entire community will be better off. As educators, lets concentrate on Learning styles versus Hair styles.
This affects more than the black female. I was told that my bald head made me look intimidating after cutting my dreads (because wanted to cut them). It’s a way to control there norm as mainstream. It must be hard having strong social competition. The truth is we’ve become strong through overcoming hate and now we “know” we’re fabulous…so enjoy the new diversity or sail out on the same boat you brought us
We have to make a change!! Please sign the petition:
https://www.change.org/petitions/horizon-science-academy-remove-the-ban-on-the-afro-puff-and-braids-2?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created
This is so ridiculously outrageous. I’m black and I prefer to wear my hair natural, as a little girl, all I wore in school were afro puffs. The same exact thing as a white girl wearing her hair in a pony tail, so is the rule saying just BLACK people cant wear ponytails. How undeniably racist. Easy choices for the mother doing the girls hair and the girl herself are afro puffs and braids with beads on them. Its so odd to me that in this day and age something like this can even be considered, no less put into the actual school’s dress code.
I find this absolutely applauding and over-top in your face racist! It’s very obvious who they are targeting with these “dress code for hair” guidelines “Afro-American” children. What does hair styles have to do with educating students. As long as the hair is clean, in a style that does not distract from being educated (i.e. spiked hair with crazy loud rainbow oolors with flames coming out of it) then there should be no restrictions on hair styles especially if you’re targeting one group of students as this statement did!
Looks like its time for another discrimination law suit. No Afros or Afropuffs then no ponytails for straight haired girls. The Ohio school system will now have to foot the bill for all their black students to get relaxers. What an uneducated school system. How dare they perpetuate that ignorance.
They would not be footing a bill for my relaxer because i would not get one! Absolutely ridiculous that they would make a person’s NATURAL HAIR “illegal”.. I am glad that they appear to be re-considering the poor judgment of their ways.
As a white woman raised in the deep South, I think this is ridiculous. I myself have long, straight hair and wear ponytails because it is hot outside, humid, and mostly because I don’t want to perm it or curl it. It is ‘my natural hair’…
This issue showed up on MSN as a ‘blurb’ and I came here to read the complete article. After reading the article I went to Lorian Science Academy (they seem to be the only academy with this stipulation…the others I read don’t have it)to see what was going on. This letter was posted at their website (I copy/pasted it)…
June 21st, 2013
Dear Parents, Guardians and Community Members,
Recently, our school sent home a draft copy of the dress code for the 20132014
school
year. In the dress code information packet, a statement was made about not allowing a
certain hairstyle. This information has offended many people and by no means did we have
any intention of creating bias towards any of our students. We truly apologize for this
mistake and want to thank everyone for their feedback about the information in our
handbook.
Furthermore, we are taking the matter seriously and again apologize for any offense it may
have caused. We are currently taking the necessary steps to correct the information and to
prevent this from ever happening again. We will be sending the final updated version of our
dress code as soon as possible.
In closing, HSA would like to thank everyone for their feedback with our school procedures
and policies. We know that you share our vision and desire to make our school the best
and the safest it can be for our staff, students, parents and community members. Please
feel free to contact us at any time with suggestions or inquiries regarding our policies and
procedures at Horizon Science Academy.
Again, we appreciate your feedback and for bringing this to our attention. If you have any
further questions please don’t hesitate to contact the school.
Respectfully,
HSA Administration
Horizon Science Academy
760 Tower Blvd.
Lorain, Ohio 44052
Bus: (440) 2824277
Fax :(440) 2824278
So hopefully this indiscretion will be resolved soon. They exhibited very poor judgment, that is certain, but seem to be willing to ‘reconsider’. Thanks for listening to a ‘sister in arms’, if not color…
Thank you sista!!!
Okay, I’m old school, prehistoric even. I don’t like piercing, earrings on men or even long hair on men. That said, That is a very cute little girl but the puffs are so big it detracts from her natural beauty. However, this is still the USA and we have the right to make ourselves look silly if we want. Please understand that I am not knocking the little cutie’s looks or choice of hairstyle, if she likes it then it’s no one else’s business since there is no way that her hairstyle will interfere with the classroom. I do think the puffs are cute on her but I think they would look better if they were about half the size they are. But that’s just one mans opinion.
I just want to let you know how dumb you sound. It detracts from her natural beauty? Huhh?? Do long ponytails detract from a white or Asian’s girls beauty? The longer her hair is, the bigger the puffs are going to be. So what, you want her to cut her hair so that the puffs aren’t so big? That doesn’t make any sense at all. And we have the right to make ourselves look silly? A little girl with her natural hair pulled into two, neat, clean afro puffs is making herself look silly? No, your making yourself look silly.
That was the dumbest comment i have seen today! Way to hide your bigot views…FAIL
More than just the “natural hair community” should be appalled. It is not only “natural” kids that wear braids and other styles mentioned and it is not only natural kids who are affected by racism and profiling. Our children have been wearing these styles for years. It’s an assault on our culture.
I’m white and feel this is clearly racist. If their reasoning is that the afro puffs and braids are distracting somehow, then I call BS, especially since hair beads are allowed. I think many of their rules are way too restrictive, and that the school has a very narrow minded view of what’s acceptable depending on race and gender.
Soooo,,, you want the hair to look “natural”,,, but not in its “natural state”. Since when has the appearance of puffs and twists hindered a child’s ability to learn? Since when has these hairstyles been a “hazard”? smh,,,, “AMERICA THE HOME OF THE FREE”??? -_-
The girl in the photo with her puffs is absolutely adorable. What jackass wrote that rule and thought that would be OK?!
I have worn my hair in its’ natural state for more than forty years. During college and while my sons were infants & toddlers, I wore a TWA (tiny weinny afro, and at another time, I wore braid extensions. Since 1991, I have worn locks!!! I live in Lexington, MS and when I moved here twenty years ago, the other three people wearing locks were my Twin and her 4 year old daughter. Fast forward to 2013, many of the young males in adorn locks but only fewer of the young sistas are wearing them. However, the older sistas in the community are shedding the straight flowing processed look and recognizing the “real” beauty and convenience of being natural.
My sister, the Mother of the 4 year old was asked frequently, “Why you make her wear those locks. Shouldn’t she decide how she wants to wear her hair?” Of course, we never consider that when process our daughters’ hair-sometimes as young as 3-4 years old. Of course, we still view ‘nappy hair’ as not beautiful and processed hair as beautiful!! We still have these same issues around skin color too!!
I encourage the young mothers in my community to let their daughters and sons wear a natural look!! I also encourage mothers to lock their daughters hair…it’s just something about being natural that free the Spirit!!! By the way, my niece is now 23 years old and would not-at least for now, consider cutting her locks-let alone straightening them!!! We must teach our daughters and sons to be pride of their skin, including their hair!!! What are they so afraid of when we wear our hair natural?
How can join this community/students in support of “Being Natural”? Petition time, writing letter time, showing up time…Get Up Stand Up & Stand Up for Your Rights!!!!
I think this is ridiculous. It’s as offensive to me as Eloisa’s comment about “banning white kids from wearing greasy oily stringy flat hair.” Both are offensive. My handsome great nephew has a beautiful Afro and my little great niece has the prettiest golden stringy flat hair you’d ever want to see.
It truly blows my mind that school administrators in this day and age can be so out of touch with issues having to do with black people’s hair. I don’t think it’s necessarily racism, just a fundamental abysmal ignorance of people outside their own narrow framework and their own impaired and misapplied judgment based on their fundamental ignorance and laziness to learn the facts. These administrators themselves need to be sent to “re-education camps” for some reality therapy.
This issue makes me wonder what type of “science” this school teaches.
I am amazed that this is even thought of as part of the “dress code.” I feel outraged by it.
Students should be seen only as learners in schools and leave their natural qualities alone.
Academics should be a schools main concern….not hair styles and multi-colored wrist bands or other non-dangerous or other personal style choices that won’t distract other students and teachers from the purpose of being at the school in the first place: to get an education.
That is WRONG on all fronts. Someone need to protest this. I’m sure 99% of the one that came up with that new and racial rule were…………………WHITE. Even today they are still wearing their WHITE SHEETS. (KKK)
Oh but the Beiber bangs are just fine, 3 boys in one class had the hairstyle and all those boys did all day long was position those bangs with a comb or by constantly swinging there heads so that the bangs would stay to the side ALL DAY THEY DID THIS. but thats not distracting right ? #blackVSwhiteissues #SMH!!!!
about a minute ago · Like
I’m from Ohio and I’m natural and I’m DEFINITELY against what they are saying. That is sad that no matter where you go they keep trying to down play naturals. What a person chooses to do with his or her own hair is their choice and no one should be able to tell you any different. It’s sad to make these children who are natural feel like they are wrong for how they wear their hair. I feel ashamed to even say I’m from Ohio right now.
That’s crazy. For a lot of black girls that is the first hairstyle we had as toddlers, the black girl version of those little Cindy Brady pigtails, a hairstyle that doesn’t require excessive fussing with. Not having to be fussed with is a major plus for afro puffs and braids: it saves kids from the horror of hot combs and straightening creams. No parent should be forced to spend an hour getting their kid to sit still so they can force an elaborate, unnatural style on their child. No kid should be forced to sit still or get their ears burned just because a school doesn’t like a more natural, easier to maintain hairstyle.
The US never lost its disgustingly racist feathers, not sure who you guys are trying to fool. So when are they gonna start banning white kids from wearing their greasy oily stringy flat hair?
Must be whoopin that @ss in academics so they had to pull out the Racism Handbook.
I doubt this will last long, damn idiots
Ohio doing it wrong yet again. Watch all the naturals take their talents to south beach.
They have no clue! Hair style does not affect a child’s ability to learn!
This is unbelievable. As a white guy, I’ve been pulling for the return of natural hair in the black community for a long time. Just because I think I think it looks great, but also it’s a shame that so much money is spent straightening hair. I know ‘afros’ aren’t easy to upkeep either, but I’m saying: bring it all back! Ohio can fuck off.
HAHAHAHAHA you as a white guy have been trying to pull the return of natural hair? HAHAHA this is the funniest post I’ve read today. And how would you anything about afros and what it takes to upkeep them?
Why is that so hard to believe? Is it wholly impossible to you for a white person to grow up with and around black people or have black friends? Expand your mind.
Greasy flat haired people don’t know anything about afros other than what other have told them or what they have read. His post is ridiculous. That’s like me saying I know it must not be easy to have such greasy oily dirty hair that it just has to be washed everyday, because that is what flat haired people do. Smh @ the white asskissers on this site. Disgusting. But then again, y’all are American, so I’m not suprised. Always looking for white appreciation and acceptance. Sm. Thank the heavens for the rest of us.
Greasy flat haired people don’t know anything about afros other than what other have told them or what they have read. His post is ridiculous. That’s like me saying I know it must not be easy to have such greasy oily dirty hair that it just has to be washed everyday, because that is what flat haired people do. Smh @ the white asskissers on this site. Disgusting. But then again, y’all are American, so I’m not surprised. Always looking for white appreciation and acceptance. Thank the heavens for the rest of us.
Yes the white brother can know 1st hand — especially if he’s like one of many white men I see with natural-haired black/brown wives and children of their own with kinky/curly hair.
He doesn’t even have to have a black friend to be multiculturally aware. That’s just smart, observant.
Pro-black never meant anti-ANYBODY, not even anti-white. Take your anger somewhere else, you’re fogging up the positive energy.
Way to rain on a white guy who actually understands that our black hair is “normal” hair. This thing called the internet has been informing people of all ethnicities for a while now, so maybe he found out about afros there. Is it supposed to be a secret?
So…you’re upset that these white school officials don’t understand natural black hair and are discriminating against black students via their ignorance. Yet, you are mocking this white guy for being educated about natural black hair textures and advocating it’s acceptance. I think your two-strand twists may be a little to tight, Eloisa.
Re-read my post and then comment. White people have no clue how easy or difficult maintaining hair that is not theirs is. David is delusional. And I’m actually wearing a wash and go, no twists today.
Re-read my post and then comment. White people have no clue how easy or difficult maintaining hair that is not theirs is. David is delusional. And you people are asskissers. Disgusting. And I’m actually wearing a wash and go, no twists today.
who said the officials are white? there are plenty of black school administrators who are against these hairstyles as well
Wait a minute…”Hair must look natural” but “no afro puffs”????? Somebody is a TAB BIT lost here.
I had to reread that part a couple of times! I feel like this dress code is very poorly written (especially for a school)!
This just sounds like pure ignorance to me. What, they want ALL kids to have relaxed hair?
I am really getting sick of white people and their shit.
why are you referring to white people… this couldve just as easily stemmed from non white people… its not confirmed if it came from white are blacks or others…
This is a rule of ignorance and must be addressed and reworked to reflect the African American Culture . Even boys who have long hair will wear breads to ban them says that if they wear there hair natural they will have an afro. To have them cut there hair is not something a school should be able to demand the only extent i think a school can have is to require students have clean hair. Anything else need to only be for health and safety only.
I was a teacher at this school in Ohio but in another city who is apart of the Concept School Management Company. I understand the outraged with people over this however, as a teacher at one of these schools I think the focus they are trying to make is for the kids to “comb their hair” and STOP wearing their hair “WILD” and calling it a “NATURAL STYLE”. As an African-American teacher, I had to “correct” several students on the side about the way they are wearing their hair to school because it was an embarrassment for me and the African-American Community. The hair is damaged, broken off, split ends and etc. Parents are allowing their kids to go “natural” but are not taking the proper care for it and are letting their children come out the house with uncombed, damaged, nappy hair thrown in two puffy ponytails. Students are doing home dye color jobs and it’s just not a good look for the school or the community. So before everyone jumps on the “NATURAL HAIR OUTRAGE” and want to “FIGHT THE POWER” please know ALLLLLLLLLLLLL the facts and look at it from every angle. And YES, I’ve started growing my hair natural for over a year now:)
And see, that’s the point that I was trying to make, but I know and understand that we are highly passionate about our culture and hair (rightfully so!!).
I think it’s ultimately a poor choice of wording and a poor decision based in good intention. I would really hate for my kids to believe their teachers and administration are out to get them and deny their culture when they simply want them to be and look their best and not have to worry about the problems and distractions that arise in the learning environment. In no way do I feel like the policy and its language should not be challenged, as I would confront it head on if I were a parent, but I just really hate to see people be dubbed racists over cultural misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
I’ve seen the girls with the unkempt hair be bullied or treated disrespectfully, whether permed, weaved or natural. I doubt the administration is aware that people in our community are adept and highly capable of nurturing natural styles acceptable in school and the work place, and instead of criminalizing them and pulling that dreaded race card, I think it warrants discussion and evolution in policy/procedure. Things can be handled without people having to lose sleep at night.
There are plenty of schools that permit all kinds of hair where — if there should be a book on the shelf to begin with — learning does not occur, but no one ever seems to be as outraged over that.
Are you kidding me? This is an attempt to make children comb their hair? You can’t be a teacher at any of these schools and you can’t be black or natural for real because that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever read and I’ve been using the internet since the 90’s. Any woman with natural hair knows you don’t necessarily ‘comb’ it every single day. Tell me, do you comb your newly natural hair every morning?
Damaged, unkempt natural hair is the reason for this? Please tell me, what is a ‘good’ natural hairstyle if an afro, afro puffs, and small braids are unacceptable?
Well hopefully the school administrators will sit down with the parents and have an honest discussion about all this and not arbitrarily make a decision based on misguided perceptions. BUT if a parent will let their child out the house with “uncombed, damaged, nappy hair thrown in two puffy ponytails,” then NOTHING the administrators say will get through to them. Though saying home dye jobs is “not a good look for the school or the community” is funny considering the number of grown folks walking around with the same. Still that sentiment is similar to what we in the black community went through a mere decade plus ago regarding locs and braids when they were deemed “unprofessional”. Even now my twistouts and fros get “looks” at work. Not from white administrators but my black coworkers. To which i say “go kick rocks”, but i digress…
Dear Mr. Williams,
Horizon Science Academy of Lorain would like to inform you that the necessary steps have been taken to address the concerns of the community with regards to our dress code policies. We have made the necessary corrections to the policy and want to apologize to whomever it may have offended. Horizon prides itself on diversity and will continue to help all of our students become successful.
Also, Horizon Science Academy of Lorain has provided a link below to inform you of the letter we are sending to our parents about this situation and to reassure you that we have resolved the matter.
https://www.horizonlorain.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DressCodeWebsiteLetter13-14.doc.pdf
Thank you for your offer and we look forward to making our kids successful.
Respectfully,
Jayson Bendik- Dean of Students
Your use of the word nappy to insult and berate your students makes me shocked that you are a teacher working mostly with AA students. I also am doubtful about your statements about “damaged, broken off, split ends” with natural students. I see women (and girls) with relaxers whose hair fits this very description but I’ve rarely seen anyone with natural hair whose hair looks like this (to a casual observer). I’m natural and even though I get split ends the texture of my hair makes it very difficult to see them unless you examine the ends of my hair closely. Another issue is that natural hair often looks fuzzy or frizzy but this is a normal part of curls and kinks and doesn’t usually indicate unhealthy hair. I wonder if you’re not projecting your own ideas about unkempt or “nappy” hair onto your students?
I think you’re a liar. I don’t believe you’re Black, or a teacher, or have ever been to this school district but are here to simply gauge and stem the rage. If you are any of the above, God help your students! And by the way, the Black community doesn’t need the likes of you as its guardian. #findyourself
Sounds like a private school, people don’t like it? Well enroll your kid somewhere else. There are more important issues to be outraged about. Besides its the education that matters and based on the grammar and spelling by most of the commentors, im guessing they don’t go there, or any school for that matter. A lot of private schools want a uniform look to the student body so kids can focus on learning and not what kind of clothes the popular kids wear or the hairstyles.
It is not a private school, it is a charter school. Charter schools are publically funded. Also, obviously you do not understand the issue. If any black female naturally grows her hair and puts it in a ponytail it is an afro puff. So instead of insulting people and questioning their intelligence, research the topic if you are not sure and then comment. That way your intelligence will not be called into question.
Why would the administrators of this school come up with a policy geared so specifically towards towards the naptural brown chilluns? AND if this is geared towards the lil brown guys and not the brown girls I still want to know WHY? Does the sight of young men in braids somehow offend these administors? Asking that a student’s hair be neat and tidy is one thing, saying absolutely no “afro puffs” or “small twisted braids” with or without rubber bands is another. Might as well say “don’t bring no nappy headed children up in heah”. Subtle bigotry is still bigotry. They are supposed to be teaching these children, not destructively mucking with their self esteem.
Has a change.org petition been started to reverse this policy? This needs to be nipped in the bud ASAP!
How you gone ban the way my hair grows out of my head! Don’t make no type of sense. SMH
Horizon Science Academy- Lorain
760 Tower Blvd.
Lorain, OH 44052
Phone: (440) 282-4277
Fax: (440) 282-4278
Email: in**@***********in.org
there are many of these schools in ohio…this is the one in question.
Hello ladies! I’m a bystander (@kraven on Instagram) that sports locs (which I did not see banned in the policy! Yay! #winning) and I was linked to this post via some outrage byproduct on Facebook.
As a writer myself (mostly non-fiction/techncal stuff) I have a pretty good hunch that the language in this context does not properly reveal the necessity and reasoning for banning those specific styles, which I’m sure we can all agree are NOT the complete roster of magnificent and imaginative styles that can be achieved without relaxing the hair.
Moreover, I took a look at the Facebook page for one of these schools (the Toledo campus) and it looks like they are doing a wonderful job teaching a predominantly black student body or a school population with a significant proportion of blacks.
Please forgive them, as I’m sure they really mean well, and in that neighborhood, certain styles may be worn by specific clusters of people that these educators may be trying to disassociate with the learning environment, or that they simply find hinder the learning experience. It’s not their fault that it’s a bit difficult for them to explain in detail, especially considering the document is not intended for the public at large who would not understand the context.
There are enough people out there that are trying to hinder blacks without the need for us to demonize and make accusations without complete understanding and context here. Any parent with a child there should handle the issue in private, give them a chance to edit the document if needed, and let us know what happens.
For the sake of those beautiful black children that any of you can see by typing in the school’s name on Facebook, PLEASE DO NOT CREATE A PR ISSUE OUT OF THIS. I would hate for those kids to see the people who ARE trying to help (nobody’s perfect… Doesn’t make them racist!!!!) as the enemy over a non issue. I can’t fathom a school being racist and not specifically banning “dreadlocks” or cornrows, so I’m willing to believe there’s a method to what some see as madness.
Let’s explore and research this institution and its faculty/staff before we express outrage and concern and stir trouble in a good situation.
Much love, peace, and natural oil instead of hair grease!
According to this ambiguous policy, it’s possible locs are considered small twisted braids, so….
It’s possible, sure, but you can’t verify that as a fact, so why should we reserve outrage for SPECULATION when there are so many more troubling issues to concern ourselves with?? Again, I feel like this is an issue for the parents to handle and we can at least allow the school to express the purpose of the policy.
Christopher,
While your rebuttal is well written, I would like to state that I am familiar with this area (I was born and raised in Cleveland and Lorain is a suburb/surrounding area) and can unequivocally say that there is a sort of racial/cultural insensitivity regarding this letter. Cleveland, like many major cities, still deals with institutionalized racism and systemic issues regarding diversity and the tolerance/sensitivity to both ethnic and social constructs. This forum tends to discuss the irritation that the aforementioned issues cause many of us and it is unfortunate that Lorain Horizon Academy is the latest manifestation of such ignorance…
I am willing to believe that! But I am also willing to seriously weigh the comment down below by a sister who claims she has taught at the system and thinks maybe they are trying to cut down on black kids showing up with unkempt hair (hence the statement about the code eliminating the barriers between student socioeconomic levels). Do I believe it shouldn’t be contested or changed? Absolutely not. Obviously we know how to nurture and foster our hair in ways that are acceptable in schools and workplaces. I had to grow my fro out for years in predominantly white environments before I loc’d up. Never did I feel less than or unwelcome despite how anyone might have felt about it personally, and honestly some of them learned something new and amazing about black people’s hair they never encountered before.
I think we can confront the issue and even fuel change without inadvertently and inevitably demonizing the schools, including faculty and staff, which seem to have a significant amount of blacks in the student body.
If there are teachers there who only see minds to shape, not black kid/white kid/rich kid/poor kid, why should they have to be caught up in what could POSSIBLY (however probable or improbable) be a misunderstanding (albeit a big one) of black culture and black hair, not flat out racism.
We don’t have seminars and college classes for white people to learn about our culture and hair. Ignorance isn’t always bigotry. I confront it all the time and its something we have to learn to be okay with in “post-racial” America and open ourselves to teach and share instead of just writing people off as racists and bigots, however uncomfortable it might be for us.
Moreover, it’s tough to be a part of any organization or institution that is accused of something like racism… Suddenly the people you thought you could trust look very different to you. People might even begin to look at you funny just for being associated.
So all I’m suggesting is that we approach this with a white glove and open the dialogue to challenge the policy without having to make it some huge Al Sharpton type issue that will put so many innocent people in the crossfire unnecessarily.
If it turns out to be plain racism in an area still crippled with it (and really, I’m trying to find this magical city in America that isn’t still dealing with it) then I’ll take them to bat for it. But if not, then let those kids get the education they deserve and see how adult blacks can have a voice and a power that strikes the target without hurting those merely passing by.
The contact information for the school was posted by Yvonne below. I’ve already sent my email.
Postracial America is not a thing. Many people may BELIEVE that it is, well-meaning teachers included, but they are simply incorrect, misguided, and ignorant. I have heard that song and dance so many times before, the “I see only students, I don’t see color” line. We have become so afraid to talk about race and racialized experience that we have begun to deny that race is there, that it does, in fact, affect who we are and the experiences that we have in our lives. Refusing to “see” Blackness does not make it go away, but it DOES devalue the experiences of Black people. Our society assumes whiteness as the norm, and treating everyone “the same” forces children of color into the norms that a white-normative power structure has set up for them. This is a perfect example: it is ok and “normal” for white children to wear their hair in braids and ponytails. However, when Black children where their differently textured hair in similar, or even identical styles, it is deemed distracting or unfit for school. These policy makers are assuming that all children have the same hair, and should be able and willing to adhere to the exact same styles and looks, not realizing that this look may be normative for one child yet require a great deal of straightening and treatment for another.
Herein, I think, lies the central problem of what seems to be your argument. It seems that, when you discuss racism, you are specifically talking about maliciously intended policies and ideas that are purposeful anti-Black/anti-POC. However, as racism is not necessarily about malicious intent but also includes people/systems/policies/ideas that hold up systemic societal inequities and power relationships that are detrimental to people of color, this policy IS racist. Just because you were racist by accident, doesn’t mean you aren’t a racist.
If this school system, as you said, serves a relatively large number of Black students, it is absolutely unacceptable that they created a policy that is so incredibly out of touch with Black culture and the needs of their Black students**. It is not OK to be that ignorant, and they deserved to be called out. They should also be given some credit for so quickly apologizing for the harm that this policy caused and for making moves to try to repair the damage, but that doesn’t mean that this policy was not damaging. I would imagine that it must have been pretty darn upsetting to be told by your school administrators that YOU and your hairstyle don’t belong. Black people in this country are already so often bombarded by subconscious (or, in this case, overt) messaging from media, marketing, curricula, and demographics of their academic universe that they do not belong in the world of education. This problem is not new, and the concept is not revolutionary. The fact that the administrators of any school system could be so unaware of or so callously insensitive to that is just appalling. I agree with you that it is often unwise to brow-beat people who make small, bigotry-based mistakes due to ignorance because losing the ability to communicate with them, but this was not a small mistake. This was a large, offensive, and frankly rather alarming one that potentially caused significant emotional harm to many students of color who attend this school, and to their parents. It may, indeed, “be a part of any organization or institution that is accused of something like racism,” but I’m sure it is MUCH harder to be part of a racial group that is singled out as being fundamentally and naturally unacceptable in the eyes of school administrators. People of color are told to “get over it,” or to “stop playing the race card,” when they are victims of racism, yet, when white people are the ones screwing up, we say “Oh, that’s ok because it must feel hard to be associated with racism.” We SHOULD make it hard to be associated with racism. We SHOULD make people who allow racism to happen and be perpetuated feel uncomfortable, because maybe then they would STOP DOING IT.
And, also:
“We don’t have seminars and college classes for white people to learn about our culture and hair.”
— this is actually not true, I’ve seen seminars that do center on contemporary Black culture and have had other classes myself where the topic of natural Black hair arose.
**Even if they didn’t serve a lot of Black kids, would still not be ok, but it would be a little more understandable where the ignorance came from.
I wish I could give ten thumbs up… I totally agree and very well written!
I think you do have some valid points. Ignorance isn’t always bigotry. But bigotry is always ignorance. When you are put in a position to make decisions such a dress codes and you when your resume the responsibility to communicate to the public about our school policies you need to know your information. The fact that there wasn’t one person who did not question the policy is the problem. How much do you really care about your minority students if you don’t know anything about their culture. I think it is important that the school understand this was not a minor decision and was very inflammatory.
As you can see with the update of this article and all, I think it was just poor choices and a misunderstanding of culture.
We can all go back to finding something else that we can riot over despite civil means for resolution now:
Dear Christopher,
Horizon Science Academy of Lorain would like to inform you that the necessary steps have been taken to address the concerns of the community with regards to our dress code policies. We have made the necessary corrections to the policy and want to apologize to whomever it may have offended. Horizon prides itself on diversity and will continue to help all of our students become successful.
Also, Horizon Science Academy of Lorain has provided a link below to inform you of the letter we are sending to our parents about this situation and to reassure you that we have resolved the matter.
https://www.horizonlorain.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DressCodeWebsiteLetter13-14.doc.pdf
Thank you for your offer and we look forward to making our kids successful.
Respectfully,
Jayson Bendik- Dean of Students
“We can all go back to finding something else that we can riot over despite civil means for resolution now:”
How CONDESCENDING! And funny how you had that letter up and ready to post on SEVERAL Websites.
How DARE you reduce the concern and outrage of MANY people, with a historical issue deeply embedded in modern life, to frivolity?! If you feel the need/nerve to tell us how and when to base our interest and concern in an issue, than TROLL on another board while you do your absolute best to DERAIL thoughtful communication with garbage and go SHILL for this school’s administration on the down low somewhere else and and leave this board the HELL ALONE! We’ve given your TROLLISH, reductive, nonsense, PSEUDO-COMMENTARY way too much space already!
Postracial America is not a thing. Many people may BELIEVE that it is, well-meaning teachers included, but they are simply incorrect, misguided, and ignorant. I have heard that song and dance so many times before, the “I see only students, I don’t see color” line. We have become so afraid to talk about race and racialized experience that we have begun to deny that race is there, that it does, in fact, affect who we are and the experiences that we have in our lives. Refusing to “see” Blackness does not make it go away, but it DOES devalue the experiences of Black people. Our society assumes whiteness as the norm, and treating everyone “the same” forces children of color into the norms that a white-normative power structure has set up for them. This is a perfect example: it is ok and “normal” for white children to wear their hair in braids and ponytails. However, when Black children where their differently textured hair in similar, or even identical styles, it is deemed distracting or unfit for school. These policy makers are assuming that all children have the same hair, and should be able and willing to adhere to the exact same styles and looks, not realizing that this look may be normative for one child yet require a great deal of straightening and treatment for another.
Herein, I think, lies the central problem of what seems to be your argument. It seems that, when you discuss racism, you are specifically talking about maliciously intended policies and ideas that are purposeful anti-Black/anti-POC. However, as racism is not necessarily about malicious intent but also includes people/systems/policies/ideas that hold up systemic societal inequities and power relationships that are detrimental to people of color, this policy IS racist. Just because you were racist by accident, doesn’t mean you aren’t a racist.
If this school system, as you said, serves a relatively large number of Black students, it is absolutely unacceptable that they created a policy that is so incredibly out of touch with Black culture and the needs of their Black students**. It is not OK to be that ignorant, and they deserved to be called out. They should also be given some credit for so quickly apologizing for the harm that this policy caused and for making moves to try to repair the damage, but that doesn’t mean that this policy was not damaging. I would imagine that it must have been pretty darn upsetting to be told by your school administrators that YOU and your hairstyle don’t belong. Black people in this country are already so often bombarded by subconscious (or, in this case, overt) messaging from media, marketing, curricula, and demographics of their academic universe that they do not belong in the world of education. This problem is not new, and the concept is not revolutionary. The fact that the administrators of any school system could be so unaware of or so callously insensitive to that is just appalling. I agree with you that it is often unwise to brow-beat people who make small, bigotry-based mistakes due to ignorance because losing the ability to communicate with them, but this was not a small mistake. This was a large, offensive, and frankly rather alarming one that potentially caused significant emotional harm to many students of color who attend this school, and to their parents. It may, indeed, “be a part of any organization or institution that is accused of something like racism,” but I’m sure it is MUCH harder to be part of a racial group that is singled out as being fundamentally and naturally unacceptable in the eyes of school administrators. People of color are told to “get over it,” or to “stop playing the race card,” when they are victims of racism, yet, when white people are the ones screwing up, we say “Oh, that’s ok because it must feel hard to be associated with racism.” We SHOULD make it hard to be associated with racism. We SHOULD make people who allow racism to happen and be perpetuated feel uncomfortable, because maybe then they would STOP DOING IT.
And, also:
“We don’t have seminars and college classes for white people to learn about our culture and hair.”
— this is actually not true, I’ve seen seminars that do center on contemporary Black culture and have had other classes myself where the topic of natural Black hair arose.
**Even if they didn’t serve a lot of Black kids, would still not be ok, but it would be a little more understandable where the ignorance came from.
oops, that posted twice, for some reason. Sorry!
that’s ridiculous. I prefer to see little girls with the braids or poofs. it shows someone is teaching them to take good care of their natural hair. I think I would be talking to someone at that school and throwing a fit if necessary.
Im sorry but banning a natural hairstyle for black children cannot be an excuse to disassociate themselves with a bad crowd. Are you serious? This is a blantant attack on black hair. So parents will be forced to perm their kids hair? Most little black girls ponytails are always puffs so since black hair is curly they cant wear hair like they please? If it was white kids a normal hair style would not be in question. This is racism and should be fought against!
insensitive.ignorant.culturally rude. I know one thing for sure. An ethnic person did NOT have any input with this “rule”. Sad…
oh…and “small twisted braids” tho!? haha..makes no sense! At least look up the proper term to whatever it is that you are referring to!
is that a fact? often times these types of rules come from other people of color… j/s
All the female students should stay out of school until the rules are changed.
A better plan would be for all of the girls to wear afro puffs and small braids.
This is racist at best… are we supposed to relax or straighten our hair just to go to that school? Ridiculous.
From a person who has locks and finally embracing my hair for what it is, kinky, curly, nappy or whatever term one may chose to use. I think it’s disgraceful that the school board would take away a child’s identity no matter what color or race that child maybe. However it’s even more disturbing for black children because many already have an identity crisis with themselves. I think there should be some major protesting going on in that community and at that school. This should receive national media attention on some level just in case another school somewhere decides to do this idiotic thing.
I called the school asking for comment and told an administrator will contact me. Absolutely ridiculous.
I don’t get some of these dress codes. As long as the kids are able to keep their hair neat, shouldn’t that be ok?
Hisssss! So messed up! I’m a white teacher working in a charter school (with uniforms) in Oakland, CA and I would throw a fit if the board at my school ever tried to pull anything like this.
We should all send emails or call. Racism won’t go way from doing nothing
Locs and cornrows were not listed. Are we really sure it’s racist? Maybe haphazard or silly, sure, but racist?? Are we making hot tea out of lukewarm water here??
I think so.
No we are not making hot tea our of lukewarm water. I think you are unclear on what ethnic group’s hair is and afro without locs or cornrows. You should probably do your research before you make such foolish statements. Besides when was the last time you saw someone other than a black with an afro.
FIRE THE FUCKERS WHO CAME UP WITH THE POLICY!!!! THEY NEED TO THINK ABOUT THEIR SHIT IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE!!!!!!
dumb ass racist fuckers.
Can we approach the dialogue with dignity and class tho?? This comment is like a bushy, wet, mildewy weave.
FUCK OFF!
Ah, I struck a nerve I see.
God bless you boo.
I’m seriously confused! If children with natural hair are not allowed to braid their hair or have afro puffs, then what are they supposed to do? I honestly view this as a promotion of the white agenda (natural is bad). Maybe the science academy should do some investigations into the properties of natural afro hair, they’d have to change their policies after educating themselves.
They need to remember the 1st amendment….those people who came up with that stupid rule are dillusional and ignorant if they think that everyone is able to conform to their ways.
HIt them up on their Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Horizon-Science-Academy-Columbus-Middle-School/198001046931853
Racism. Why would anyone forbid anyone to be their natural selves? That’s like telling everyone to purchase blue contact lenses because brown or green eyes are forbidden. No one black or white should stand for this!
Based on the comments (not negative) I have received from Caucasian students about my own hair, I think they mean two strand twists in the policy. I have heard Caucasians refer to them as twisted braids or braids, except twisted.
Puffs and twists are the perfect hairstyles to send kids to school with. As an educator, I like for students to experience diversity at school. It will benefit them later in life. They can’t get this experience if everyone looks the same.
I remember a similar thing like this when I went to secondary school almost a decade ago, the school had gotten a new head teacher a year before and we was informed that we was no longer allowed to have our hair in cornrows (the school was majority black and latino at the time). The following week most of us kept our hair the same and a complaint was made on the grounds that it was racist. That rule was quickly scrapped. I think its a shame that still in this day and age where there is so much knowledge and awareness of peoples differences (and I would maybe even say that “ignorance” is no longer a valid excuse) that people in a position of authority could put up rules like that and not see anything wrong with it!! Just…
This is absolute bafoonery!! It’s quite obvious this board/decision making team is not as culturally diverse as they would like us to think. What OTHER styles do we have left if we can’t put our child’s hair in a ponytail or braid it?! Do they prefer we give the little girls a brush cut or a fade? I thought this was America? am going to make a change.org petition for this foolishness. We need to speak out about this, I’m so sorry Mike Baisden is no longer on the radio. We really need his voice right about now.
Whoever put these rules together and had the audacity to include Afro Puffs and Braids is ignorant. Just before it they say, “hair must be natural”. They mention dying the hair, so I can understand unnatural colors in the hair (pink, purple, orange etc), I can understand mohawks as well – there’s nothing natural about them, and they are associated with rebelliousness in some people’s minds. You can’t get more “natural” then afro puffs…smh.
This is quite absurd. This must be a really, really strict and straightforward school. I need to see the demographics. I can tell I will not be living in the US when I’m grown and with children if this continues to spread across the country. As a natural, if we do not wear afro puffs or braids, then how shall we wear our hair? Scratch that!!! As a young natural meaning you have no control of your hair because your mama, grandma, aunties, or whomever takes care of you does your hair, how shall you wear your hair? I don’t believe there are many or probably no children at all who will be seen wearing a weave, and even if the family plans to relax the child’s hair one day, that won’t occur until they are much older, no less than 16. Read the poor little girl’s shirt. So what solution has the school made for natural little girls? See what happens when you let people touch your hair.
@ Che Che.
Why should he have to fight about what style his hair is in. As long as he is able to do the job, after getting his degree like everyone else.
This needs to stop right now. We should have the right to wear our hair naturally. We have just recently rekindled our love for it!
Black people have to fight for too much! Fighting for our hair style is going too far now.
Just allow him to be who he is, as you have been!! x
YOU GOTTA BE FN KIDDING!!! C’mon, REALLY? How backasswards is this state/school?! I’m screaming mad. Is their school motto: “If it’s nappy they ain’t happy, if it’s straight it’s great.” Somebody & everybody who agreed with this CLEARLY RACIST policy, needs to be fired AND have their head & hearts examined.
This is stupid. our natural hair is puffy and some parents are not comfortable putting a hot comb through their child’s hair or put chemicals in their hair. Who ever decided on this rule needs to educate themselves. It almost like they are telling kids that they can’t be black or if you have thick puffy hair ( no matter the race) that you have to be ashamed of it and conform your hair like the thinner haired people. That’s not right. We are telling kids that if their hair is fine and bone straight then there is something wrong with them (self hatred). My hair is thick and kinky and my mother braiding my hair saved her time and aggravation in the morning because the style could stay in all week and all she had to do was change out the barrettes to match our outfit. They better reevaluate this so call rule cause they are about to get an Emineum style Mosh March to their door.
How about this, no matter the color or sex how about the school shaves every child’s head. Let’s keep it equal. This is ridiculous and is teaching safe hatred to anyone that has thick hair. Disgraceful.
That’s what you get with charter schools, I’m afraid.
No, my children all attended charter schools and hair was never an issue. In fact, there was one young man attending that had a big, healthy Afro (there were many other children with natural hair, as well). Hair was a non-issue because the administration had the common sense to know that it did not disturb the the learning environment.
They wouldn’t even have to worry no braids, no puffs..no problem. My child would be showing up with a HUGE AFRO!!!! Then I would go to the board and get this ridiculous rule thrown out or they could have nice lawsuit on their hands.
This is absurd and clearly a racist policy. There is nothing wrong or strange or indecent or shocking about black hair. Singling children out for wearing ponytails because of the texture of their hair is discriminatory and shameful.
Schools are completely out of control these days. It’s almost like science fiction – apparently, you can only be a school administrator of you loathe children and young people.
This is sad!!! The white and Puerto Rican kids get to come with their NATURAL textures showing why cant our babies??!! And this will continue if parents don’t speak up and TEACH these brainwashed fools that OUR BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL and That this good AFRICAN hair we have is WHATS REALLY GOOD!
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I’m Puerto Rican, and this ban would keep me from showing my NATURAL texture. The school is not only targeting black children but also the afro-carribean community and any child with naturally afro-textured hair. This ban is just outright IGNORANT!
I’m Puerto Rican, and my hair is the same texture as most African American hair. Myself and my daughter would be affected equally as much by this absurd, racist rule.
Don’t forget there are black Puerto Ricans too. We come in all colors and hair types since slaves were brought here too.
The BEST charter schools worry about what is “in” your head not “on” your head! And, I would not allow my child to go there because if they feel that way about her natural head of hair, then they are basically telling her that there is something wrong with the way she is made. Young girls have enough negative images being thrown at them by the media on a daily basis (in subtle and not so subtle ways)! Please take the time today to voice your opinion on their Facebook page!
This policy is completely asinine!
Our society is still encouraging the stigma that Black children should hate their natural texture and that relaxing is the way to go. It’s a shame that our society has taught some Black women and girls to have low self-esteem about their appearance.
Since afro puffs and braids are so terrible, how about we ban mohawks, highlights, dyed hair, haircuts where a kid has his hair cut into a shape of a lizard and his one strand of hair is the tail because I’ve seen that boys who aren’t ‘ethnic.’
Just saying…
I don’t understand hair rules that aren’t specifically about health and safety (e.g. hair tied back while working with food or shop equipment, no lice). I understand the points they think they’re trying to make, but I don’t understand how they’re educationally meaningful.
I know, racism is so illogical that it is difficult for any reasonable person to understand.
Ok, I read this article and then the comments and honestly I’m confused. LOL. I am a black, Jamaican, mother of two, yup two girls and we all have natural hair. So now I’m asking WTH is this rule trying to achieve? The moment more than two persons do something its a FAD? How about we learned something new and more healthy and we are striving for a healthier us. Why are people so quick to put a label on things. Its like say trying to lose weight so that you have a healthier body is a fad. Now when I put my little one’s hair in a ponytail without braiding i, it becomes a puff (afro puff), and it attracts the other kids to play with it. So I only do that when we are going out together. I say that to say depending on the age group we are dealing with I would be willing to give a little on the afro puff. but to turn around and take braids from me as well, are you kidding me!?!?!?!!?!? Who the heck thought up that rule? How is a mother/father supposed to comb their little girls hair for attendance at this school?
I really think there needs to be more clarification of these rules, and a conversation had with the affected community and the rule makers that will bring about understanding and an acceptable agreement, instead of isolated decision making. This is based on the assumption that the rules makers have no true sense on the management of black hair.
I went through a similar situation with my now 18 year old son first entered kindergarten. I was told no braids or ponytails..he would need to have his hair shaved off. I fought like crazy. My son was able to keep his hair with stipulations. Only straight to the back and his hair must stay neat. I fought again. Those rules are not in existence at that school anymore. I also went through the same thing when he entered highschool but this time it was with the basketball coach. My son decided not to play that year but eventually that so called policy was changed as well. Now mind you my son knows once he goes out into the world of employment he will go through this again. This time he is willing to make a change once he has completed his college degree only if the pay is right but if there are other ethnicities wearing a ponytail he will fight for his right to wear one as well.
If I were a parent at this school, I’d go to the school and ask them to show me what “natural and well groomed” style they’d like for my Black daughter to have. Presumably they’d show me a straight haired child at which point I’d let them know that there is nothing natural about that. Are they insisting harmful heat or chemicals? Seriously. This shows a lack of diversity in their management staff. No way a Black woman saw that and approved.
So, what’s the game plan?
what are we doing writing letters,calling the school, signing petitions, sending emails??
They are suppressing all kids and that is the problem. Conforming to a dress code is one thing, but don’t tell me how my child’s hair should look. If it is neat, clean, and unoffensive don’t call me with no mess!
This isn’t the 1940’s anymore. Teaching your child good grooming is one thing, but to teach my child what hair styles are unacceptable by a old white man who probably won’t be their boss anyway….no
Companies who want to stay current are not in the business of caring about someone’s hairstyle. Now, yes perhaps certain hair styles and color are never going to be ok in the office, but what if your child wants to own a Bar or be a Fashion Designer. Totally different world and rules.
You can’t lie to kids and have them thinking this is how the world works, because it doesn’t. Every career path has different rules, but these things don’t matter until they are 18. Children are not adults and that is why we envy them sometimes. The joy to truly be yourself 24/7.
It is not about fooling child and being one of those everything goes parents. That is just setting your child up for failure. BUT at the same time how kids were raised 20 or 40 years ago might be work now or 10 years from.
You can’t tell your child they are beautiful the way they are, and then make them change their hair, because a school said so. How do explain that as a parent, AND NOT “because I said so”.
An “afro puff” is what naturally occurs when textured hair is pulled into a ponytail and braids and twists are style options when doers of textured hair refuse to use harmful chemicals or heat on hair. There is NOTHING wrong wuth that so this policy unfairly targets people with textured hair. This ridiculously wrong policy should be fought against by ALL ethnicities because if they take away the liberties of one, they will take aeay the liberties of ALL!!! First us then you THEN who will be left to speak up for the disenfranchised?
This is racist! If I had a child that went to that school she would wear her afro puffs anyway! Why? Because that’s how our hair grows. Just wait until I have children, this type of bs won’t fly.
BLACK colleges are banning natural hairstyles for students. And we’re still too brainwashed to even notice that what they consider “not professional”, and “unkempt” ONLY APPLIES to natural black hair. As long as you relax and “whiten up” your image, you’re looking clean and/or professional. This makes me angry.
This is wrong on so many levels. Black girls are now more than ever wearing their hair in its natural state. We use box braids two strand twist as protective styles. These styles can be worn neatly and be well kept. As for the rude xomment about the afro puff and blocking the view of another child. That is a bogus excuse to discriminate. The afro puff is a style that worn on the top of the head. If natural hair ia acceptable in the boardroom and the courtroom surely rhe school room can accept it. That is clearly a rule that is directes toward to a certain ethnic group and last I remember that was unlawful!!!!
Connie, I was thinking about responding to your comment but I changed my mind. I will ignore your ignorance. You are either clueless, racist or clueless AND racist. This infuriates and saddens me. Punishing innocent children. C’mon now. These are the “issues” that they really decided to tackle? The nerve. The audacity. How dare they. I have two younger daughters and their hair stays in braids or afro puffs 99.9% of the time. AND if my children were enrolled at this school and I still chose to keep them there after receiving this letter, their hair would continue to be in braids or afro puffs 99% of the time. All I will say is that racism is very much alive.We must protect out youth.
Lol. This looks like a response to me.
All I can say is WOW! I live in Ohio and I am ashamed. I am pissed about this because I wear two stranded twists all the time as a protect hairstyle for my natural hair as well as my daughters. I’m sorry that our hair doesn’t fit into “their American dream” and world, but we are all different and it’s obvious that this school does not appreciate or want to teach their students how to appreciate the difference in all of us.
They are literally forcing one culture to conform to with society deems as their form of beauty or acceptability and that is wrong!! The fact that they even capitalized the word “NOT” acceptable in the letter to the students signifies that someone within the administration has some deep rooted issues about cultural hairstyles. They have not been educated about our hair nor do they care because in their world, this is not acceptable.
Well shame on them for being narrow minded and tunnel vision. Good job guys for showing our students how to behave and act when you are afraid of differences that you don’t understand.
The ENTIRE dress code is ridiculous. I understand the school wants to maintain a certain image, but that shouldn’t be by changing the way students express themselves….afro puffs, mohawks, looped earrings, etc..whatever the case may be…and your hair can’t touch your collar??? what is this a military school?
Someone at this school is bugging and whoever agreed with that bugaboo needs some serious therapy.
Some caucasions have curly hair as well. When put into a ponytail it resembles an “afro puff”. I wonder if this means EVERYONE, regardless of color/race, is banned from the style.
I thought schools are suppose to set the example and stop BULLYING. But here they are Bullying ethnic people because of their hair texture!!
Connie, why don’t you learn to think before you speak! You obviously must be a white woman who has NO experience with African American hair. The picture of the little girl is clearly anecdotal for purposes of the article!
OUR hair is beautifully thick and long and cottony in texture! Wearing 2 ponytails is not an option for a lot of us.
This is just another attempt at trying to get blacks to conform to European standards of beauty. Our “twisted braided hairstyles are not a “fad” and have been a cultural norm for centuries in this country.
It’s sounds to me as if the ban is intentionally set to hinder a ethnicity from attending this school or too restrict the amount of ethnic children who attend. These hairstyles are not new or faddish I’m 40+ yrs old and wore these hairstyles when I was in grade school. The natural hair textures of some ethnicities are not silky and straight and therefore when you put it in a ponytail it puffs out. In order to tame the hair it must be put in braids sometimes. I find this to be quite disturbing if this is enforced for the girls. I can understand if its for boys dress code but to mandate it for girls as well is too much.
idk about that. there are hbcus that ban certain hairstyles as well …
FAMU can’t be one of em! I’ve seen every hair style imaginable worn during my time there!
Connie, STFU. You are an idiot!! Yeah, I said it….
Connie…are you serious? This is racism at it’s finest. I am sure the reason is not that the children can’t see behind them and if that is what you think, you either have your head in the sand or under a hood.
It looks to me like a two-pronged measure to homogenize the school’s student (and parent) population.
1. Students need to all look the same and not spook each other OR the teachers.
2. If you don’t like it, LEAVE. Meaning, black kids, get out.
Normally I’d move on and leave a place like that — BUT THIS IS A SCHOOL. It’s literally there to help mold your child into a decent adult. So, this policy HAS to be fought, and the administration and PTA, and PTO, and any other parents or community members, need to be re-educated as to what constitutes “intentionally rebellious style.”
All I can do is shake my head at this! I am from Ohio and this is a bit too much. “Afro puffs and small twisted braids!” You have got to be kidding mean. This is discrimination on a whole new level! However, if this is a new rule that is applied to MALE students with long hair, it should be applied across the board. I attended a private school in Columbus and the male students were not permitted to have hair past the collar of their shirt and it was actually in the handbook as part of the dress code. But if this is a rule that reaches only one race or ethnic group it needs to be addressed! These are children! Let them be! But I wonder if they would ban highlighted or colored hair as well as the little mo-hawks all the kids are starting to wear? Hmmm…
The letter does address mo-hawks and colored hair. They, too,are not permitted. But what puzzles me is, hair beads are permitted, but if small twisted braids are not, how does that work???
It’s pretty damn obvious that the person/people who came up with this code are NOT Black and have no idea how to care for afro textured hair. This policy is racist to the core.
thats no true. this person could just as easily be black. all black folks dont think the same… j/s
Many schools today Do have a policy about hair. NO more than 2 pony tails, NO faddish hair styles….PERIOD ! GET OVER IT PEOPLE !! The problem with the school system today is for so long they feared laying down the law…now when they do people get in a huff. If this little girls hair looked like this going to school ..HOW IS THE WORLD IS THE CHILD BEHIND HER TO SEE THE BOARD ? Parents use some common sense when dressing, hairs styles , nail grooming, etc…as to where the child will be during the time you groom them up. pfffttt…lawsuit my butt, I would tell a judge to man up and lay down the laws so parents have to take some responsibility. If you think your child is excluded or being picked on because of the way they look…YOU AS A PARENT are in charge, fix it so they are in good standing with the rules.
Were you really born that stupid, or is this the result of some sort of drug or alcohol abuse?
There is NOTHING FADDISH about African hair in it’s NATURAL state. It’s what we are born with. Nothing about that little girl’s hair is unkept or unclean. It does not reflect on a parent. And I highly doubt her “fro” blocks the view of another child. How fair is it that someone makes a policy against how you look NATURALLY? It unfairly targets a certain group of students.
If the child’s hair grows curly and when she puts it in a pony tail, it looks like an afro puff, what’s the problem? She can’t even put it in braids to make the hair look well groomed because braids are not allowed.
this is how her hair grows, why should she change it??
@Connie: I am assuming that you do not have “afro” hair texture. No more than 2 pony tails is strict but when can be followed. As you see in the picture included with the article, the little girl pictured has 2 pony tails. Her hair texture brings about the label “afro puffs”. Even if she had only 1 pony tail she would have an “afro puff”. If you hair is straight, wavy or curly you can wear a pony tail but if you hair is afro you can’t? From what was sent out, it seems that if all the children with this hair texture decided to just wear their afro hair picked out into a 70’s “faddish” hair style they WOULD BE FOLLOWING THE SCHOOL RULES but if they pull their hair back into a “groomed” style or twist the child’s hair or use rubber bands on the twists to HOLD THE HAIR DOWN SO THE CHILDREN BEHIND THEM CAN SEE THE BOARD they would be BREAKING THE SCHOOL RULE.
As a black woman that wants to see the members of her culture succeed, I agree that there should be rules of engagement to set boundaries and convey expectation. However, as a black mother, I don’t see how my little girls afro puff is a hindrance in the education arena. I understand no tank tops, no pink hair, no open toed sandals; those all have a purpose. What is the purpose of forcing a parent to risk damaging their child’s hair with heat and products so that it will lie flat which is the only option when you remove the protective styling option of braids? The little girl can’t see? Well lucky for us those seats can be moved around! To the black community, telling us to get alter our child’s natural state is the equivalent of the school asking you to tease your little girls ponytails because they move too much and MIGHT hit a someone in the eye. That’s laughable right? I don’t feel under attack, I don’t feel as if it’s racially motivated. I believe this is done in ignorance. For them to ban an afro puff is to ban the natural state of our hair (which in all it’s coily glory is beautifully unique). Could they ask a white parent to ensure their child didn’t get a tan line? Absolutely not, the sun is out… it’s nature, it’ll happen.
You sound really ignorant. A girl wearing her het in her natural state in the form of afro puffs or twists or braids have nothing to do with receiving an education. Heck if her hair is being a distraction to the kid behind het let her sit in the back or something but there’s PLENTY of kids who are a distraction to other kids
Oh, another thing to consider… How are children supposed to concentrate and see the board when girls with long straighter hair textures are whipping it in their face while seated in the desk in front of them…. or pulling their fingers from root to tip to get the kinks out….or letting it drag and drape over their shoulders onto the desk of the student behind them when taking a test…. I think the school should also write a rule about things that are inherent to those with non-afro hair.
Afro hair texture NOT a fad. It is how the hair grows from the root naturally. It is not altered to look that way (like perming straight hair to make it curly). Children are not being taught how to properly deal with diversity. How to have a strong sense of self but still live in harmony with others. A lot of this is due to ignorance, as I again assume that you have no knowledge of how to care for, style or evaluate afro textured hair. You also have no idea how other hair textures affect the education and learning of other students because you nor the school board has addressed some of the issues I indicated above that are the result of being around people with non-afro hair.
That has to be the most stupid and ignorant statement i’ve ever saw posted. It is a declaration of war against common sense, as well as insensitive and racist to the core.
Screw that. This is ignorant and racist.
Connie,to answer your question,the child will see the board the same way they do when the kid sitting in front of them is taller than them.. look around them.
The problem here Connie is that if my daughter cannot wear her hair in a natural state such as a pulled back pony puff, or in braids what are her options? a perm? why, so it will lay down? No Connie, rules like this tell african american kids (or kids w/ afro textured hair) that their hair inherently breaks the rules and is a negative aspect for other people to deal with!! A afro puff doesn’t have to be a high puff it can be positioned low, but the puff “position” is not what is in question here, the puff is “banned” all together.
Uhm, No! no one was trippin on white women wearing behive hairstyles in the 50’s or 60’s to school, or big crimped hair in the 80’s but big hair is an issue now? and only in the styles that are inherently natural to african americans?
And by the way how do braids obstruct another childs view? They aren’t used as a weapon anymore so than a child who uses their hands to hit or they feet to kick. So in those instances you have a problem with the childs behavior not the childs hair, or hand or foot. The whole child is taken into consideration not solely certain aspects of their person.
Common sense tells me that this is an intentional jab at african americans and their children. Grown women can do what they want, so we’ll impose our prejudices upon your children. Most children spend 8hrs a day at school that is a long time to have someone telling you and formulating in your mind that your hair somehow negatively affects those around you, whether they are saying it to your face or writing it into a dress code that you MUST adhere to.
@ Connie. I cannot believe the ignorance that came out of your mouth. But since it did I am about 99% sure that you grew up in a racist household. I do not know what state you live in either but I think you should further your research as to how many schools have a policy when it comes to girls and their ponytails! It is not many schools at all as you stated above. As a matter of fact I dont even see one school. And if your child was sitting behind my daughter and couldnt see the board then maybe your child should move. I use common sense everyday when I pik out my daughters beautiful afro or her afro puffs before she goes to school and she is very proud of them. And then for some BIG RACIST to come along and try and make her feel like she is not as good as the little white girl that can wear a ponytail in her hair! I think not! It is people like you Connie that need to GET OVER this RACISM. It is old and boring! Just like you. Now go get a life and stop adding to the bullying ways that the racists want you to follow!
Are you serious? Why as a parent should I force my 4 year olds hair to do anything other then what it was meant to do. Should I put chemicals in her hair, just so it conforms to the schools or how what some societies view as normal? No! I refuse. My daughters hair when put in to pony tails looks like two spiral curled puffs. The white girls in her class wear their hair in the same style and it is two straight ponytails. Both are wearing their hair in its natural state. Why should my daughter change her hair style, when they other girls aren’t. This is just modern day racial discrimination!
OMG! Please tell me that you are kidding right?! You are writing this to get attention right?! You were deprived of attention from your parents (who were all too perfect and taught you everything about life) and this is your way of getting it right?! Okay, I understand totally…attention seeking behavior…lol..enough said. Ha. 🙂
It would have been better for them to work with ethnic parents on the hairstyles and not totally ban it by saying, all Afro puffs should be a certain size or circumference to allow students who sit behind them to see the board. Not really for sure what their beef is with twisty braids because I think they are fabulous, but then Connie would have a problem with this too…right Connie my dear…you are so perfect and know everything..right. 🙂
If someone said “no straight hair allowed. Everybody must wear their hair curly” there would be an uproar. So why people with curly/afro hair cannot wear their hair in it’s natural state or at least wear braids?? Braids are the way many African American little girls wear their natural hair.
I think their being too extreme. No puffs or braids? Puffs I might be able to understand but braids? Really? Instead of banning it all, they should tell them that their hair has to be styled to where it’s not distracting or getting in the way of them doing their work. It is a science school so of course they’d be doing experiments
and the hair should be pulled back. Just make that the
rule. Not only is it fair, but it applies to students of all ethnicities.
I live in Ohio too and this is pathetic and just plain wrong!! Slowly but surely more and more of our rights are being taken from us! What is next? Are you going to tell us how to talk and walk now? This is discrimination at its worst! I would take my children out of that school so fast!! Y’all should get together and protest this damn school! They have last their damn minds!! This makes me so mad!!!OH yeah, what CeCe said sue their asses!!
if that’s the case then they should also ban children from letting their hair out so that it can whip freely through the wind. If we want to be politically correct about hair; that is actually dangerous. Materials can pull and snag on ones flowing hair, it can get it caught on rides at playgrounds, the child might get distracted from their education by playing with their hair, e.c.t. A black or mixed child, I mean, a child with kinky and/or curly hair does not have to worry too much about these things since their parents tend to have their hair in some type of protective style. Although that rule was casually added in between other numerous rules they might as well have said, “If your child’s hair is nappy, do us all a favor and perm that mess”. (smh) they will do anything to pull us back when we are trying to move forward.
The hair must be clean and natural, but no Afro puffs or braids? That’s “IMPOSSIBLE” for most black children! The only way my children or I have ever been able to wear our hair not puffed or braided is to straighten it through unnatural means! I’ve never seen any dress codes requiring kids to put heat or chemicals in their hair and on their tender scalps to make it curly! If they can’t get over the freakin natural hair difference, then they haven’t gotten over the freakin natural skin difference! And, they call themselves an institute of education? Humph! I beg to differ!
LAWSUIT waiting to happen.
Everyone is saying the parents should stand up but we need to stand up too! Blow up their facebook and twitter accounts! Call them and explain that this is not acceptable! We can all make the difference. The fb and twitter accounts are under the school’s management company, Concept Schools: Charter School Management Company.
I’m not even sure where to begin. I guess I need to get more details on this, but even so I can’t understand, nor do I want to understand how this can be rationalized. So are they forcing young Black girls to wear their hair straight!? Is it a way of getting Black kids out of the school!? What really kills me is how blatent society is in making rules to say “We don’t like this whole Black thing you have going on. Can you take it somewhere else?”.
If I were a parent whose child went to this school, I’d sue them. This is discrimination and extremely racist. How can you ban ponytails for black girls but not other ethnicities just because our hair is a different texture? Oh noooooo they would be hearing from me because this is horrible.
I guess it’s a stupid rule but I don’t give a fuck.They just want black girls care about themselves and not look like homosexuals. Basically the rule is fine. It’s a strict school. I agree with the rule. So black girls that respond to this message. I don’t give a fuck
Chris, go fuck yourself!! Only a dumb piece of shit would think that black girls with afro puffs and braids look like homosexuals. And I’m guessing you’re a racist, redneck, nasty ass cousin-fucking hick. Get the fuck outta here.
BGLH, forgive me for the cussing BUT I HAD TO!! That ignorant shit just pissed me off!
An elementary school aged girl has to where her hair the way her parent/ guardian fixes it. White people or any other race that know nothing about black hair and its many textures, should not make stupid rules about it, nor should they make idiotic comments about things they don’t understand. Any little black girl that has her hair fixed in boxed braids or any type of braids, is so that the child’s hair will be controlled and not all over the place. It in no way makes an elementary school child look like a homosexual. The fact that a child’s hair is done in those ways shows that the parent DOES care about how the child looks and prefers not to have the child’s hair all over her head. So I don’t give a fuck either… you are an idiot!
this comment is so dumb, I don’t believe you really mean a word of it. You’re just a troll
First of all Chris, there is nothing wrong with being gay. If someone is gay, that’s ok.
Second, since you like to judge people based on their looks, I’m going to judge you based on your words. You sound like a black man who tells black woman that to be beautiful they need 30in Remy weave with a Nicki Minaj injected booty. Live in your mom’s basement, drive a beat up ’85 Chevy with new rims that you couldn’t afford and you work a McDonald’s. Enjoy your pathetic life.
This is sooo funny. Many African American women with their natural hair afros or afro puffs are very well paid models, musicians and actresses. Would you call Beyonce homosexual? Wait: Are you homosexual?? Otherwise, I would have guessed you would have noticed that. NO harm/no foul in your words – only someone that doesn’t have it together would take offense to what you have said, BUT Your negativity and stone throwing has no place here, Chris.
Tbis is pathetic. Why don’t they just ban being black? If black girls can’t wear braids and puffs, what do these idiots WANT them to do with their hair? Cut it off? Burn it straight? I’m pretty sure no other students are required to mutilate themselves before they are deemed fit for an education. That’s totally bizarre. And disturbingly cruel.
I totally agree that an afro puff is identical to a ponytail – it’s the hair that’s different, not the style. Though, I do caution against saying it’s a “black version.” It’s not a different version, it’s the same exact style. So the ban is not on the STYLE so much as it is the GIRL whose hair puffs up instead of falling down. Well, that’s just hateful. Some people shouldn’t be allowed within 100 yards of children, namely these morons who came up with these ridiculous, racist rules.
That rule needs to change ASAP, and I presume it will. It’s just plain pathetic.
I’d be the first to pull my child out of that school! I cannot stand how increasingly racist and prejudice this country continues to get. As always, it’s not as if we asked to be here.
I know, we know, and they should know that it’s wrong, but reading the letter, I can see where they might have been going. They wanted to make all the little kids the same, stifle individuality and hopefully prevent bullying or a rebellious uprising. No bandanas for gangs, no mohawks for punks, no low cut shirts for underage pregnancy, and no afros for swagger/black mentality.
It’s still wrong. They should have done more research into black hair care. The community over there needs to speak up, or they will also be to blame for sitting back and taking it. If that doesn’t work, pull your kid out of that school. They only represent dollar signs and funding that the school will really regret to have lost.
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Astonishingly stupid and discriminatory policy. Can’t make this stuff up.
Shame on them!!
This shouldn’t go very far if the adults/parents take a stand and bring light to the topic. I’ll be very interested in their follow-up activities. Growing up that’s all my mother would do to get through a week of styling with my sister and I. She would braid and twist our hair. They must not understand the level of care and maintenance that is required for textured hair.
It’s so funny how some people just don’t think when making those types of requests. My go-to rebuttal for those that have requested that I change my hair: I ask them to ‘change’ their face. Cruel & harsh? Maybe, but definitely in line with someone requesting that I change myself and not be the way that the universe has created me.
I agree Sabrina- if they want to be disrespectful and ask you to change your hair, I see no problem with you asking them to change their face
This is INSANE… But luckily I don’t see how this will actually be put into effect if the parents stand up as they should. If they are having a problem with children looking “unkempt” then they should simply request that parents make sure “the appearance is neat and tidy”. There is nothing inherently messy about braids and puffs. and it must be said… my children are some if the only Black children at their daycare… and some of the other little children of a different race consistently look unkempt with long tangled hair on a daily basis, so I hope that these standards apply to EVERYONE.
I have two boys and I keep their hair cut low… But if I didn’t, or if I had a little girl- they would have a serious problem in me alone. WE are beautiful NATURALLY
I’m from Ohio and unfortunately many people, including many black people — have seen natural hair as “undone” or “unkempt”. People are slowly jumping on the natural bandwagon, but it’s more of a trendy look rather than embracing our true textures. Everyone wants the “curly” look, rather than their real natural texture, hence the disdain for children coming to school with nappy (not natural) hair. Ohio is and has always been a very racially divided state — Cleveland specifically has many strides to make before young black children are looked at as beautiful rather than cute little poor kids who need taming or civility. Very sad.
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I live in Ohio also. In fact this is in Dayton, OH. That’s my area. This is crazy
Whenever I read stuff like this, I get a feeling it’s like one or two people that complained and the school decided to make it rule (that’s what happened at my hs when a teacher didn’t like seeing people’s feet and the school banned flip flops). Instead of punishing the entire black student population at the school and shaming them into thinking that their physical appearance is inferior to whites, why not just educated those two people and explain to them why their ignorance is not ok.
But seriously, when (and if) I get pregnant and have a child, I wish a school would. See what happens when I call up channel 5 news or get an attorney.
As long as it is nice and neat and well groom. There is no reason for this period!
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This is absolutely RIDICULOUS and I’m tired of it! It’s just HAIR the way it grows out of our scalps. Why are they so offended by it? What is it to them what those children’s hair looks like as long as it is clean?
Oh this is some bull! This list is pretty strict also, no jewelry except a watch, no hair touching the collar?? They also said hair must be natural but are afro puffs and braids natural?
I went to a school with a strict dresscode but the “rules” didnt matter after 2 weeks, so hopefully this school is just doing this for show…
They also said hair must be natural but are afro puffs and braids natural?
I was going to mention that as well…. I don’t get it
This is ridiculous! We’re always asked and criticized about our hair at the same time. 1)Why is African American hair nappy? 2)Why do black women get relaxers? 3) Why do black women wear weaves and wigs? 4)Why do black women hate their hair? It will never end! I heard a certain “freaky fast” restaurant doesn’t allow braids, dreads, and Afros on employees.
Agreed! And it’s obviously unfair and discriminatory whether they admit it’s intentional or not. Exactly what does this school then suggest Black girls/boys do with their hair?
The parents should be up in arms and are hopefully making their voices heard as every other non-Black group does when institutions reveal how oblivious they are to their needs. We can’t expect anything unless we demand it, exhausting but not new. The model is the cutest thing in the world!
TRUE. Darned if you do; darned if you don’t.