Afro hair is not allowed in primary school

[Mumkris]

Hello everyone,
I am really struggling to understand why my son’s hair is not allowed in school. He is biracial and he loves his gorgeous curly hair. His primary school, however insists that he should cut it or plait his hair as it’s causing a distraction and they “cannot have that”?!
I read their hair policy and there is nothing against that. His hair is long but not long enough to be tied back. It is what it is - natural!

OldSchoolDa would you say the same if it was a girl with this hair? Just cut it off because it doesn’t fit some prescribed idea of what’s socially acceptable?

Long straight hair needs tying back because it gets in the way (and when you get to secondary with Bunsen burners and whatnot, is a health hazard). That doesn’t apply to afro hair. Hair that the child themselves fiddles with is distracting to th child and others. Hair that’s just doing its own thing, safely and naturally? Fine. Would the school also complain that a child with a visible disability was distracting?

PAlm5 thank you for demonstrating! Exactly that! If you pull it - it’s long and if you leave it - it’s short.
And thank you noego, that’s empowering.

Mumkris does your friend's daughter go to the same school?
My DD attends a school which is predominantly white but we have a small proportion of black and mixed race children (and then smaller yet ratios of different ethnicities to those). Some of the black children have afro hair, some of them have braids, some of them have it cut short. Same with the mixed race children. The rules state that hair must be tied back (if long, including long braids) for PE and for things like science & cookery. No extreme cuts are permitted (no lines shaved in or colour).
One black friend has two DC's - boy and girl. Boy has short hair, girl has some beautifully arranged plaited style (it swirls up and across her head). Another friend, with mixed race chiildren varies her DC's styles daily. Sometimes loose, sometimes plaited, sometimes bunches.

If your son's hair is as long as others who are not asked to cut or tie their hair back then the school are singling him out. It could be purely ignorance as they don't understand how afro hair 'works'. Either way, I'd be up there making a fuss about it.

Personally I don't see what difference at all someone's hair makes to their ability to absorb knowledge, or their ability to be taught. If others are distracted then perhaps there needs to be more focus on either understanding that everyone is different, or on a standard of teaching that engages pupil attention sufficiently.
As an adult I was once told that my hair colour (at the time a dark red/brown) was not 'in keeping with the corporate image'. Despite the fact that I worked in back office and had no customer interaction, nor could I be identified as a representative of that company when not in the office. Ridiculous.

It's not a reasonable request, if the school is persistent ask for a detailed written explanation, and then you can pursue it, it's clearly cultural discrimination.

If this has recently come up, I would wonder if there was some issue with your sons' current teacher/teachers; perhaps someone who is discriminatory using this issue as a cover? Having read Akala's account of his treatment in school, I would not put teacher prejudice aside until it's been explored.

Afro hair is not distracting, it doesn't flop, can't think of any reasonable explanation. So get in writing that it's distracting, in what way it's distracting, for whom is it a distraction? The more details the easier it is to follow it up formally if necessary.

Sorry you're dealing with this stuff and for your son. And for those posters who think you should just cave - if their child had blonde hair and were told it was too bright and distracting so they should dye it, would they? This is the equivalent unreasonable request.

In response to this and similar comments...

I assume that the school rule is boy's hair to be neat and tidy. A white pupil could have a big mess of hair and would get a similar request to tidy up, so this is zero to do with race and all about obeying rules. Why do they think the rules shouldn't apply to them?

The problem lies in the definition of what ‘boys neat and tidy’ hair should look like. It seems very much like the OP’s school, along with a number of posters on here, have a definition in mind that is based on hairstyles worn by white children. I’m sure it’s not a conscious thing, but that doesn’t make it any less awful.

Who the fuck cares about hair styles? Doesn't impact on their learning. Our school doesn't have strict rules about hair so you see a variety of styles. Long hair needs tying back for certain subjects but that's the only rule

"Trust the universe and respect your hair”
Bob Marley

"Don’t remove the kinks from your hair, remove it from your brain”.
Marcus Garvey

"A man who cuts his hair is like a tree without leaves”
Rastafarian Proverb

“Sometimes, you let the hair do the talking”
James Brown

I assume that the school rule is boy's hair to be neat and tidy. A white pupil could have a big mess of hair and would get a similar request to tidy up, so this is zero to do with race and all about obeying rules. Why do they think the rules shouldn't apply to them?

I hope this generation turn out to be rule breakers, break out of the matrix and become anarchists.

No he shouldn't have to sit for hours having it braided. Knowing nothing about afro hair I'm going to say that the person who has dealt with said child and their hair type for many years should be trusted to maintain it and not be forced to put their kid through unnecessary hassle. Rhys the beauty of kids. They get to see these things day in and day out and don't give a shit

Distraction my arse. It's hair. Unless "fuck you " is saved into it in several different languages or it's dangling into the flame on a Bunsen burner then I don't see the problem personally.

That's

Strange typo

Isn’t it about controlling? Are you afraid of someone breaking the rules? We are not breaking your precious rules. We just want to be free of prejudice. Anyone should be able to feel good about themselves , no matter what.

@OldSchoolDa not a leap at all. If many, many black people let their hair grow naturally (I'm inclined to say most?), their hair (our hair) will grow in to an Afro. It's just the way it grows. The height. The direction. The curl. The texture. Your comment is probably a lot more harmful than you are aware of.

OldSchoolDa is a racist on a windup, best to ignore.

Also OP, totally off topic but have you seen Blackkklansman? Some damn amazing hairstyles. You'll feel so inspired after you've seen it I am sure! Tell me they aren't some beautiful fros 😍

Love your hair always.

I didn’t sign up to be discriminated against.

Um, I'm white and have no experience of Afro hair, but, unless the DS wants his head shaved, it looks as though he has to have it braided or natural? If the school are demanding he wear his hair in a way that isn't natural, surely they are in the wrong. As for posters talking about Afro hair being untidy or unkempt, shame on you,

I swear I've seen more racist comments on mn this week than I have in a long time!

Who the fuck cares about hair styles? -Doesn't impact on their learning. Our school doesn't have strict rules about hair so you see a variety of styles. Long hair needs tying back for certain subjects but that's the only rule

Agree.

I’m all for school uniform and kids looking smart but the control some schools think they should be able to have over kids’ appearances is beyond ridiculous.

I love these afros PAlm5
It’s not just hair it’s a statement!