To wonder how a school could get this so wrong

[Hingeandbracket]

And not admit it.
www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/newsbeat-45521094
I am not quick to shout racist but this seems pretty clear cut.

woke white people (like the girls mother)

What have I just read?! I am utterly appalled by some of the comments on this thread. But then this is the country that just voted Boris and his unabashed racism into number 10.

I can see both sides. My best friend growing up has a beautiful afro but always had her hair tied up for school because that was the rules. My neices ridiculously long hair also takes half an hour to do, but again, that's the rules... That said when this child's hair is in a high ponytail (therefore tied up) it is probably higher than left natural so the blackboard argument is nonsense, as is the other children getting distracted by it! I would be completely onside with the school if they just said hair that can be tied back must be tied back.

Oh as for damage that does suck, my hair is very fragile and breaks easily but I still have to tie it back when appropriate so although sympathetic, it is what it is.

What do other black students at this school do? Surely they aren't all being sent home?

Interesting point ...

Telling a child with this kind of hair to get it braided or straightened so she can abide by the rules is like telling a ginger-haired child with totally white skin and freckles not to use sun screen so it can get a nice tan.
And that's only about the physical damage.
The underlining racism behind this is something else and really monstrous because it's so well hidden in the so-called school rules. Seeing some people's reaction I'm not surprised though Tories had this easy win. The UK is really back-pedaling when it comes to acceptance of anything else but proper white Britishness.

Suppose a school had a rule that non-Christian children had to stay after school on Fridays to do the cleaning, and a Jewish child was punished because she needed to go home before sunset and therefore didn't stay. Would the fact that the other children were perfectly able to stay make the school's actions less unlawful?

If you remove your initial criteria of "non-Christian", and just said "children" it would be an almost textbook example of indirect discrimination.

Again, the real scandal is the Diocese being let off the hook. Because this will happen again.

A stupid rule is still stupid even if some people aren't affected

This. But then you'll have people piling in to say how terrible it is for teachers and how bad all the "parenting" is these days, and how if only the kids would follow the rules and the parents would support the school regardless of how stupid (and in this case racist) the rules are, all would be lovely.

Meanwhile some school rules are stupid and shouldn't be followed for the sake of it.

I do feel sorry for the girl. Her mother chose to make this into a huge battle with the school and keep her child home during her important GCSE years, rather than just tie her hair back like the hundreds of other black students at that school do everyday.

I would be completely onside with the school if they just said hair that can be tied back must be tied back.
Why?

Her mother chose to make this into a huge battle with the school And you know this how exactly?

@OopsPregnantAgain - but why should she?
I am not black so I don't have the Afro hair but I have very sensitive skin. Remember being in agony at school when I had long hair - it was really thick and my mother would plait it really tight.
Looks like the girl has hair which can be very easily damaged so she prefers having it loose. Why not?

Its so ironic that the same crowd who say she should have followed the rules are aghast that she won a case proving the school were breaking the law.

But no, not racist at all, if you agree with the school the law says you are.

And you know this how exactly? It's very apparent from her public posts on Facebook

Its so ironic that the same crowd who say she should have followed the rules are aghast that she won a case proving the school were breaking the law. But no, not racist at all, if you agree with the school the law says you are.

Actually it didn't go to court, it was a settlement and the school did not have to accept any wrong doing

@Oulu
There not allowed to move them because that's racist too!
That's what I heard they say on the radio this morning.

That should have referred to people who support racism, not those who cry racism. Brilliant post! 100% agree!

@OopsPregnantAgain actually it's her black father who is the woke one.

And again we see people who don't understand what discrimination is and therefore refuse to accept it exists. How tedious.

The real story is the way the school slithered out of accepting any liability for the situation meaning they can't even say "lessons will be learned" with the usual insincere intent.

I find this lack of integrity deplorable.

@OopsPregnantAgain - what's wrong with fighting for the right of your child and against a very racist school rule? If everybody just shuts up and follows the rules, we will just become the sheep in the hands of manipulators.

Rosa Parks.

Some really fucking stupid people I’m this thread.

Ooos my bad.

They settled because they knew they would lose though.

The point about tall people not being sent home is on the money.

The school avoided any liability but settled the case because they knew that a public trial would mean more publicity and they'd be still deemed liable and guilty of racism.

Of course the rule was racist!
If the way a child’s hair grows naturally breaks the rule, then the rule is wrong. It’s terrifying that so many people can’t grasp that simple fact.

It’s hair. Afro hair can be tied back like any other.

More racist to assume Afro hair doesn’tneed to be compliant because it’s racist..
You aren’t allowed skinheads, coloured hair or other “extreme” styles at most school.

The school has lost because they are in the public domain.

How many schools in predominantly black countries would allow this hair?

The school has been ridiculous here. I wonder what their stance on turbans are - do they not allow them as they “block the view of pupils”?