General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAfrican-American girl faces expulsion over 'natural hair'
ORLANDO, Fla. -
An African-American teen told Local 6 she faces expulsion because administrators at her private school want her to cut and shape her hair.
Vanessa VanDyke said she was given one week to decide to whether cut her hair or leave Faith Christian Academy in Orlando, a school she's been going to since the third grade.
But for now, she and her mother do not plan to change her hair because it is part of the 12-year-old's identity. But her natural hair style comes with a cost.
"It says that I'm unique," said VanDyke. "First of all, it's puffy and I like it that way. I know people will tease me about it because it's not straight. I don't fit in."
VanDyke said that first the teasing from other students, but now, school leaders seem to be singling her out for her appearance.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/africanamerican-girl-faces-expulsion-over-natural-hair/-/1637132/23159400/-/ajs6jbz/-/index.html
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)or if it is about the length and breadth of her hair.
KitSileya
(4,035 posts)wore themselves in the 90s, only they achieved it with hours of teasing and chemicals.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)KitSileya
(4,035 posts)and they followed the hair fashions for white girls in the 90s, they certainly had hair as broad as that girl. But hers is black hair, and black hair must be tamed - there's a huge socio-cultural movement to "whiten" black girls, and straightening their hair is one of the most important pressure points. I was pointing out the hypocrisy.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)I suppose the same could be said of the big Farrah hair of the late 70s and early 80s.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Did you read the article? her hair was a non-issue until her family lodged a complaint about some of the other children bullying her.
I know, on Du it's the height of style to just assume that the black person is automatically wrong. Hell, at this point Skinner ought to add a *does not apply to black people clause in the site's ToS. But no, there's really not a "Reasonable explanation" here.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)You seem to have misunderstood my post. I was neither being critical of the girl nor was I supporting the school administration when I wrote that post.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)One that happened to paint the girl and her family as liars.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)I did not post a 'solution' to anything. I made no statments of fact. Nor did I denigrate anyone. You need to work on reading comprehension.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Jenoch
(7,720 posts)However, they do exist because of the 1st Amendment.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)These parents WANT their child miseducated by raging assholes who, absolutely have the First Amendment right to free exercise of their religion.
The free exercise of their religion includes the right to freely give this girl the boot for whatever whim their God commands.
Yes, I will absolutely defend and support the right of this school to exist and to subject this girl to whatever shame their beliefs compel.
I support their Constitutional right to say "We don't want Jews, Catholics, or girls whose hair we don't like."
What I don't get is why anyone in this entirely voluntary arrangement is complaining about it.
Case closed.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)people who send their children to these schools.
Do you have a link to provide information about the case being closed?
I thought the family was possibly still attempting to keep their child in the school without having her hair styled in a different manner.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Private Christian schools can kick out whomever they want, for whatever reason they want.
The entire point of these schools is to provide a way for people to keep their kids away from others they deem undesirable - Jews, gays, Catholics, ANYONE except particular kinds of Protestants - and to fill their minds with toxic nonsense.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)I find it annoying when people that term or 'nuff said.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)But I took you to mean that I was somehow saying this school didn't have an unfettered First Amendment right to do as it damn well pleases.
So, yes, the school does indeed have that right.
And they are exercising it by saying their religion, apparently, doesn't like her hair. Do they have the First Amendment right to believe that? You bet.
So, when you have folks like these parents who voluntarily choose to put their child in a school which, indeed, has the unfettered right to run their school as they see fit, I just don't see the point of complaining.
Do I join a Roman Catholic church and then start agitating, "Hey, why don't we have any statues of Buddha in here?" No. The rational response is "why on earth did you join an RC church if you wanted statues of Buddha in your church?"
Within the belief system of these kinds of schools, the administration is deputized by God his very own self with the discretion to run their school and regulate student appearance as they, and they alone, see fit. It's part of the package deal of sending one's child to one of these cheesy schools.
You know, every time I spend an hour hitting my head with a hammer, I get really bad headaches. This happens about two or three times a week. So, I went to the doctor to get a prescription for something to treat my recurring headaches. You would NOT BELIEVE the condescending advice my doctor gave me when she refused to give me a prescription to treat my headaches. So, yes, it looks like the doctor doesn't care about my headaches at all, and I'm either going to have to keep getting these headaches, or else find a doctor who is willing to help me with them.
TheDebbieDee
(11,119 posts)regarding the fact that they failed to protect a student from bullying.
They are using the girl's hair to "blame the victim" and deflect criticism for doing nothing about the child being bullied.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)She should be free to learn that gays are evil, everyone who is not Christian is going to Hell, and that women should be submissive, regardless of her hairstyle!
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)This is about the natural shape of her hair.
It's no different than discriminating against her if she were a redhead.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)I have posted nothing that would indicate I am opposed to this girl's hairstyle.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)natural or long.
No, it is not. A straight haired girl would be allowed to wear her hair loose and long, in its natural state.
She's being discriminated against because of the texture of her hair, not because of how she wears it or how long it is. Straight-haired girls can wear their hair "natural" and no one cares.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)I don't care how she wears it. I was simply speculating on the motives of the school administrators. That's how the sentence read and you apparently read it wrong.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)"I wonder if this is about her hair being 'natural',
or if it is about the length and breadth of her hair."
I answered that it isn't about her hair being natural or about the length of her hair -- both of which wouldn't be problems if she was a straight haired white girl.
It is only about the texture of her hair.
Tansy_Gold
(17,857 posts)It's the "Christians" who run the school that are ugly.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)Being it is a private school, they make the rules. Mom should put her in public school and she can wear her hair the way she wants.
Tansy_Gold
(17,857 posts)I said the "Christians" who run it are ugly.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)It does not matter if the Christians who run the school are ugly. It is their school. Their rules.
Tansy_Gold
(17,857 posts)Marr
(20,317 posts)Because you just said that, when arguing that the Christians who run that school are ugly, it's irrelevant to consider whether or not the Christians who run that school are ugly.
...
You might want to read more slowly.
Are you saying the school does not have the right to set policy regarding hair? I pray that you are not saying that.
Marr
(20,317 posts)There goes that reading comprehension problem again. I said nothing about the child, her hair, or school policy. I said--
Nevermind. I'm not going to type it again when you obviously didn't process it the first time.
Tansy_Gold
(17,857 posts)it didn't process the information.
It's a private school, and yes, they have the "right" to impose standards of dress, hair, shoes, whatever. So do public schools, which negates the original argument.
The sad commentary is that the parents obviously thought their daughter would get a better education in the private school rather than the public schools, and that's the crime being perpetrated against all students in public schools.
But the ugliness of character being displayed by the administration of a "Christian" school is disturbing to me even while it is not surprising.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)or loose hair, or long hair, or natural hair.
They only have a policy banning "distracting" hair. I think blond hair is distracting. My redheaded kid's classmates (and even occasional teachers) thought her hair was something to joke about. And even when she was in college, tour groups from Asia would stop and ask to photograph her -- because of her hair.
Should natural redheads be banned from the Christian school, too, because they might get too much attention? Why not, if you can ban the natural hair of a black girl?
Iggo
(47,552 posts)a kennedy
(29,655 posts)Was wondering if it is a private with no public money school....
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Keep your racist bullshit out of your school. I don't care if it is private.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)If they want accreditation? Most private do not have a need for it or want it. Catholic schools do, but many small Christian schools don't.
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)I realize that blows your argument to pieces. But that's the reality of the matter. If the school wants accreditation, they need to leave their racism at home where it belongs.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)The school exists for the purpose of teaching toxic nonsense.
Yes, children of all races should be free to learn evolution is a lie, gays are evil, non-Christians are hellbound, and women should be submissive.
Just as long as they aren't racist about it.
Oh... And by no means - No Catholics or Jews!
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Good luck with that.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Dozens of posts have gone up and been taken down--I think someone will be busy tonight, playing clean-up....samples:
....@Faith Christian Academy - Sorry, but no amount of page scrubbing is going to make this go away. Your school's name and actions are now international news.
....Your BEST...your ONLY correct course of action, would be to backpedal.
about an hour ago · Like · 1
..... IT WILL TAKE A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK, SWEETIE! YOUR PROBLEMS HAVE JUST BEGUN... Pick your poison! Conceed or retreat!
about an hour ago via mobile · Like
..... Congrats you fascist slimy racist pigs, your facebook page has become my new obsession!
about an hour ago · Like · 2
......Far from Christian behavior. More like backwards, and racist. Shame on you.
22 minutes ago · Like
elehhhhna
(32,076 posts)but a churchschool that purports to celebrate Christ - well, I missed the bible chapter about taming ones hair
ironic
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)No way did he have frizzy hair!
elehhhhna
(32,076 posts)they OBVIOUSLY meant light colored and bouncy
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)pnwmom
(108,977 posts)They didn't ban any natural hair -- just "distracting" hair, whatever that is.
Her hair may be distracting to some racist white people who don't like frizz, but that's their problem, not hers.
From my kid's experience, red hair is more of a distraction in a sea of brunettes -- and can earn some name calling.
Would the school have banned natural redheads?
tenderfoot
(8,426 posts)This is bullshit.
RKP5637
(67,107 posts)NastyRiffraff
(12,448 posts)that this is from the "Faith Christian Academy" in Florida.
The little girl is cute. She has big hair but it suits her. And even if it didn't, there's absolutely nothing wrong with her hair. The school allows racist bullies to "tease" her then blames her.
riverwalker
(8,694 posts)lame54
(35,287 posts)RKP5637
(67,107 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)This child has beautiful hair!
Iggo
(47,552 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,326 posts)I think it's beautiful but she should throw a rubber band or two in the mix during class.
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)to all this it's really beautiful hair but it might cause problems.
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)Why does she have to change her hair? What if she were a white girl with frizzy hair? It happens...I've seen white girls/women with hair that big. Would the white girl have to get her hair cut or "throw a rubber band or two in the mix?"
bobclark86
(1,415 posts)justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)ogradda
(3,411 posts)What a cutie pie.
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)If it is outside of those boundaries then she needs to change, leave or get the rules changed.
Stamping your feet and having a "I'll be damned if..." tantrum shouldn't be an option but it seems to be the one that the mother went with.
The Straight Story
(48,121 posts)And they know that when they start up. If their rules are interpreted to violate those ordinances/laws than it is they who need to focus on the fact that they opened up knowing full well what the rules for that city/state are.
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)Is the claim that the "distraction" part of the rules, which is the part they claim is being violated, illegal in and of itself? Or it is just the race claim?
To my limited knowledge, it's a pretty standard and intentionally subjective requirement in many schools.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)But the school has already backed off, according to the update.
Boudica the Lyoness
(2,899 posts)Please tell me where it says the mother stamped their feet and had a tantrum. Why are you attempting to defame this child's mother?
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)... For her daughter along with her entitled attitude.
blogslut
(38,000 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)At least, by the definition Decaffeinated is relying on here.
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)When it comes to African Americans with any money at all. They are denounced as entitled. I interpret this as anger that they have not "stayed in their place."
liberalhistorian
(20,818 posts)you put it a lot better than I did (can't seem to get my brain working tonight). The same is true for us gals, as well as minorities. And especially true for minority women.
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)... that I would feel the exact same way about a white boy and his father throwing a social media hissyfit as well about a comparable issue.
It's much easier to assume (incorrectly) that anyone who doesn't support her 100% is a sexist and a bigot. Whatever helps I suppose...
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)And this, on a Democratic board.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Admins by and large have stopped giving a shit about the racial stuff, so what am I wasting my energy for??
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)Dictionary.com
blogslut
(38,000 posts)You go on with your bad self.
LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)or caving to peer pressure? That's your idea of entitled?
I could be wrong, but I thought we were encouraging that in youngsters these days.
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)... at a public or private school that has dress codes and an administration compatible with her style.
It is her choice to go there. There might be a case if this was a public school and had mandatory attendance.
LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)Admittedly I'm making a presumption here, but "distraction" usually means interference with in-class lessons or other functions related to learning, while bullying usually takes place outside of class where authority is absent. Within the admittedly limited available information, it sounds like the girl was being harassed and the school simply prefers not to take action against her harassers. Schools like these are expensive; I would imagine there's a strong desire not to offend the parents of a group of wealthy students.
The school is probably within their rights, but that makes them no less assholes. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a religious school did something awful that would have been universally condemned if done by anyone other than a religious institution.
I'd be curious to know what the nearby public schools are like- there may be a very good reason her mother chose to send her there.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts):spew:
liberalhistorian
(20,818 posts)of the bullies, and the bullies themselves, who have the "entitled" attitude. Of course, I realize that nowadays "entitled" is used to refer to an denigrate any minority or woman who just wants to be treated normally even if they have natural characteristics that may not fit within what the majority has deemed to be cultural "norms".
gollygee
(22,336 posts)Entitled to wear her hair the way it grows out of her head? Does that fit into your definition of "sense of entitled?"
There are some things people are entitled to. If they are being bullied for their hair being the way it naturally grows, they are entitled to not be told to change to meet the desires of the bullies.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,311 posts)which is ridiculously subjective.
It does have specifics about boys' hair - you can see a section of the handbook in the video that starts "Boy's hair must be cut to above the eyes", and goes on to say they must be clean-shaven. But their examples on girls' hair point towards 'natural' being acceptable - natural color, and not having certain designs. As they say, the 'distraction' seems to be a few pupils tried to bully here about it. So this ends up like blaming the victim.
Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)pnwmom
(108,977 posts)including some teachers, because it was red.
Comments were frequently made, including jokes about redheads and tempers that my mellow child failed to appreciate.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)in this world though, they cannot be racist and should face public censure
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)this is a racial bias that pretends to be color-blind; when indeed it is very color specific
you'd be better off understanding the various issues around race, rather than rolling your eyes at me.
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)If it's causing a problem in the school, the current philosophy seems to be to remove it at any cost.
I don't really agree with it but that is what they signed up for at a PRIVATE school.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)RedCappedBandit
(5,514 posts)Give me a fucking break
Response to La Lioness Priyanka (Reply #61)
Name removed Message auto-removed
liberalhistorian
(20,818 posts)They didn't have a specific "rule" or policy against it, they only started this bullshit after she reported being bullied and teased due to her hair. So, instead of trying to stop the (very un-Christian) teasing and bullying, the school supported the bullies and blamed and shamed the victim, trying to make HER leave. It is the un-Christian bullies, who need to learn to live in a diverse world, who should be getting the blame and the punishment.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)actions on public display.
And it worked because the school, according to the update, has already backed off.
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)Agree contractually to one thing until it doesn't suit you, cry on Facebook and cause more problems for the institution.
The rules are for other people...
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)bullied by classmates who picked on her for her appearance.
If her hair was a distraction, anyone's physical appearance could be a distraction. The standard was way too broad to be part of a legal contract.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)I see contracts every goshdarn day with provisions that assign complete discretion to one party or another on any particular issue.
Rest assured, that ANY private Christian school retains the unfettered right to expel any dang student for whatever reason they want.
I do a lot of lease contracts of internet domain names, for example. These things typically have a laundry list of things the lessee agrees not to do like, spamming, illegal porn, gambling, hosting infringing content, yadda, yadda, yadda. But at the end of the day, you can't simply list the world of existing wrongs in the face of an inventive environment of "bad things". So, ultimately, those kinds of lists are examples tacked onto a clause that says, "if we in our sole discretion don't like what you are doing, we are going to yank your lease". Those kinds of discretionary provisions are in gazillions of contracts every day.
Here's one you agreed to:
"if we think the community as a whole would be better off without you here, if you are constantly wasting the DU Administrators' time, if you seem to oppose the mission of DU, or if the DU Administrators just don't like you, we will revoke your posting privileges."
Is that enforceable? You bet. And it is a sure bet that a private Christian school can kick out anyone they damned well please. That is the very POINT, the essence, of their reason for existing in the first place.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)to make them the subject of public scorn.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Let's get this straight.
We are talking about a school that these parents chose for the purpose of intentionally miseducating their daughter.
I guaran-damn-tee you that this school exists for the purpose of making sure this girl learns that evolution didn't happen, that gays will burn in Hell, and that women are to be submissive to their husbands.
This school and its ilk were deserving objects of public scorn LONG before this girl's parents INTENTIONALLY CHOSE to subject their daughter to the cavalcade of mind-poisoning toxic bullshit that they call a "curriculum".
If their family wants to believe in a pile of patriarchal Bronze Age mythology, I don't see how any member of this asshole parade gets my vote for "best ensemble".
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)A bit wild, but no worse than many of the hairdos when I went to high school. She shouldn't be forced to cut it.
Igel
(35,300 posts)If it was a common hair style, it wouldn't be much of a distraction. Perhaps in the way and blocking other students' line of sight, but not a distraction.
Then again, it wouldn't be "unique" and so it wouldn't be part of her "identity." Any more than KS, who came in to work every week with different color hair, considered that part of her identity--this week platinum blond, the next week brown, the following week red, the week after that blue or green or yellow or purple. Then one day she came in with it mousy brown, her natural color. "Everybody's doing colors. I'm unique." The percentage of her friends dyeing their hair odd color reached a critical point and she stopped.
At my school I've sent kids to the AP for "distracting" when I thought nothing much either way of the hairstyle. One clear sign that it's a distraction is that it starts distracting kids. That means instead of learning being what's important, the all important "look at me! I'm special! I'm not like the other 7 billion people!" No, just the middle 5 billion.
As for "natural," I'd assume that means she washes it and just lets it dry. No brushing, no teasing, no shaping. I'm thinking that if she needed to do that, she'd find another hairstyle pronto.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)My redheaded child stuck out in a field of brunettes and was subject to teasing -- even by the occasional teacher. What's the difference?
FYI, "natural" doesn't preclude brushing, wetting, or shaping. It means you haven't treated it with chemicals or heat.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)They'd probably whine, harp on, whinge and moan even more if she had dreads.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)I hope they didn't have that rule in the 80s or great number of people would have had hair too big for them.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Kurska
(5,739 posts)Her hair is just a bit poofy, it isn't out of the normal at all.
She has very nice hair, it is clear these people just want to make her have a "white" hair cut.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)blogslut
(38,000 posts)From the article:
"There have been bullies in the school," said Kent. "There have been people teasing her about her hair, and it seems to me that they're blaming her."
The school has a bullying/tolerance problem and instead of fixing it, they choose to harass this child.
Blue Owl
(50,356 posts)Brigid
(17,621 posts)If this school is trying to stop bullying by making the bullied person change, they're doing it wrong. Kids that age will bully and tease one another about anything and everything. They need adult supervision and guidance to learn to knock it off. If the school can't provide that, a transfer to a new school that will is the answer.
spinbaby
(15,089 posts)And it suits her. However, speaking as a white woman with very curly hair that tends to frizz, if I let my hair go "natural" and unshaped, it would not be suitable for most workplaces.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)Very saddened!!
dionysus
(26,467 posts)Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)come to mind (yes, that makes me an old fart). This young lady's "do" is tame compared to the 'fro back in the day.
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)Depending on the degree of conformity normal in her occupation.
Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)If it is natural, they have no business regulating it!
I could see rules against dying hair purple or something.
Bald Faced Discrimination. So Christian!
TeeYiYi
(8,028 posts)How she wears her hair is nobody's business.
TYY
quinnox
(20,600 posts)with her hair not so puffy and big. My personal opinion is big hair really doesn't look good on most people.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)with shorter hair, stunningly beautiful actually. But if long hair is part of her personal touch, so be it.
quinnox
(20,600 posts)She has a great look in her face, and in my opinion, the big hair distracts from it.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)It's big.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)I spent my teenage years unable to do big hair despite it being the style. Maybe my flat hair was a distraction since everyone else had big hair and I didn't conform, but of course no one bothered me about my hair as this is not about how big her hair is but about an African American girl wearing her hair natural when African American girls and women are judged in a racist fashion based on their hair, especially when it is not chemically processed to look "white." If she wore dreadlocks, she'd probably get in trouble too despite the fact that it would be smaller, because people seem to get offended by dreadlocks.
There are times where big hair is not "in" and times where it is, but regardless of fashion, people should be able to wear their hair the way it naturally grows out of their head at any time.
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)to this child's civil rights?
quinnox
(20,600 posts)to many of my posts. And I am not alone in this, trust me. Its called a discussion forum.
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)Not your repeatedly voiced distaste for black hair.
quinnox
(20,600 posts)Not civil rights. You seem to really have a bee in your bonnet about this, why don't you go picket in front of the school if you feel that strongly about it!
And I don't happen to like big-ass hair, so what? Lots of black women have beautiful sleek hair, and I don't need to dig up some pics from the internet to prove my point. Sheesh.
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)that is a relevant political issue. Your particular tastes are not relevant to this discussion in the slightest. She is not your daughter. We've been over this before. You put me on ignore for it.
quinnox
(20,600 posts)the old fashioned way. You never, never, know for sure...
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)Or I got that impression anyway.
JI7
(89,248 posts)and you think she should have to put chemicals and waste her time making her hair acceptable to certain types ?
quinnox
(20,600 posts)institution of learning. She is just a child, so perhaps she should cut her hair so that it meets the standards of her religious school. I said nothing about chemicals, you did. She is too young to put chemicals in her hair, in my opinion.
JI7
(89,248 posts)to stay in the school ?
quinnox
(20,600 posts)I'm sure you know and understand that religious schools are considered a notch above most public schools, and they usually are expensive. We are likely talking about an upper class family here. And there probably is a lot of competition to get in this school. Just wanted to point that out.
JI7
(89,248 posts)quinnox
(20,600 posts)Give me a break! That is a silly theoretical question. What, is this a KKK school in your scenario now? Jeez Louise
I will not answer these kinds of leading questions. Why not ask me when was the last time I partook in a satanic ritual in my basement??
kwassa
(23,340 posts)Did you forget?
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)Just stop. File it under "I gotta learn to MYOB on certain things."
xulamaude
(847 posts)and you do realize that look is achieved by the use of chemicals primarily? IOW, not natural.
(ETA - oops! missed that this bit had already been covered - sorry)
JI7
(89,248 posts)quinnox
(20,600 posts)jberryhill
(62,444 posts)...that if she wasn't a beautiful person, then she is not entitled to the hair she wants.
Is an ugly person entitled to their hair style?
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)If a young boy came in with hair below his collar or a white girl came in with similar hair, you can bet the school would be going through the same thing. It is fun for you guys to yell racism, but it really isn't unless you have proof the school allows the other students get away with their hair out of standards.
JI7
(89,248 posts)as those with naturally more straight hair but it will end up looking bigger just because that's how it naturally grows.
as shown below the same thing happens to many jewish and other ethnic groups if they just let their hair be natural.
the girl's hair isn't longer than most girls/women in this country. i would say it's probably shorter.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)Go Vols
(5,902 posts)plus she can play a fiddle.
struggle4progress
(118,282 posts)Just in case THAT doesn't make it clear just how disruptive this little she-devil is, I suppose I should add that, in order to avoid offending anyone, I only posted a cropped version of the picture: the full photo actually shows her holding her honor society certificate
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)This is part of the reason the term "Christian school" is a code word down South.
DeschutesRiver
(2,354 posts)Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)maybe not still technically segregated, but still white-supremacist in mindset and still committed to the notion that everyone should look and act as "white" as possible.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)Yet another example that supports the long-standing theory that conservatism depends of the survival of bully culture.
kiva
(4,373 posts)When someone chooses to attend or work at a religious school, they choose to accept the school's rules.
Anyone who works at/attends one of these schools with the idea they can pick and choose among those rules will often be surprised to find they cannot.
If everyone refused to attend/work at schools with these rules, such schools would either change those rules or go out of business.
Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)Number23
(24,544 posts)straighter hair" as if that has any damn thing to do with the subject at hand or if anyone gives a hot, flying fuck what narrow minded people think about this issue.
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)Got shit for it last time but his taste is more important than the child's freedom to be who she is. Contrast that with all the justifications for "choice" and "freedom" in discussions of rape porn.
Number23
(24,544 posts)gender is just one subject they struggle with.
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)It's targeting hair associated with blackness. But yeah, gender is not any better.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)pnwmom
(108,977 posts)I am not A.A. but I've always been in competition with them in the "natural hair" department. And it kills me that this girl was considered a "distraction" because she was the victim of kids who bullied her about her hair.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)The POINT of these petri dishes of sociopathy is conformity.
Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)That girl is beautiful, and that school should consider itself LUCKY to have her.
Response to WillyT (Reply #79)
Name removed Message auto-removed
4 t 4
(2,407 posts)leave her alone since when is there a height requirement on hair. Just leave her alone and focus on what the real problem is with the objectors. what are they really mad about??
4 t 4
(2,407 posts)Update: African-American girl won't face expulsion over 'natural hair'
Vanessa VanDyke told to cut hair or leave Faith Christian Academy
DreamGypsy
(2,252 posts)The story has been updated:
"We are not asking her to put products in her hair or to cut her hair," read a statement sent to Local 6. "We are asking her to style her hair within the guidelines according to the school handbook."
The handbook does not cite large or frizzy hair, noting only, "Mohawks, shaved signs, rat tails, etc."
Kent said she and Vanessa are going to talk about their options over Thanksgiving.
Would they expel this student???
whistler162
(11,155 posts)and wonder why someone so old is still in school!
4 t 4
(2,407 posts)false advertising. It's a Christian community! That's why even though it's not ok that is why. Christians
diabeticman
(3,121 posts)hair.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)We are all clones of one another. Florida Public School. Staff can wear city shorts, or capris to work. Sorry, don't want to. Long pants are fine with me. Flip flops are acceptable. No, thanks, I don't want a wheelchair running over my toes, or dropping a disabled kid I am holding while flip flopping around.
Worse, "FRIGID" weather" lol Greeting the cars and parents dressed only in long pants and long sleeved shirt in the "freezing cold" of 50 degree weather sends the "wrong" message to parents on dressing their kids for cold weather. lol I had a LOT of trouble with this. I should be wearing a PARKA, Hat, and Gloves. Um, NO. I only wore that in the North when it was below FREEZING, that is, below 32 degrees. I am not wearing those clothes when it is 20 degrees ABOVE freezing to send any "messages" to anybody.
Everybody has to be exactly the same. No, thank you. Let this girl wear her hair as is natural for her.
Warpy
(111,255 posts)It took me an hour of backcombing and two cans of hairspray and would deflate by noon, but by golly I was stylish when I got there.
The only problems I can see are difficulty seeing the board if you're behind her and the presence of so many bullies at that school.
The former can be cured by a 1980s scrunchy. The latter is going to take a great deal of work and might not produce as many Republican bullies, so the school picks on her instead.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)Rather than going after the bullies, they're calling her and her hair a "distraction."
frogmarch
(12,153 posts)her to act "white."
That's what I think, anyway.
Eff 'em.
Glimmer of Hope
(5,823 posts)I would sue their ass!
TBF
(32,056 posts)1. Certain folks in positions of power like others to conform to their whims.
2. They especially like women/girls to conform (even if they are female themselves and in positions of power).
3. Even more so if you are a minority - male or female.
It gets very old very fast.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,311 posts)The video shows there's also an explicit "boys' hair to be cut above the eyes" rule, and they must be clean-shaven (presumably they go up to grade 12). And it wouldn't surprise me in the least for there to be a "no shoulder length hair for boys" rule either - that was a rule at my school.
It was them saying it was a problem only when she pointed out the bullying that seems really wrong to me. That, and the subjective 'distraction' rule.
TBF
(32,056 posts)thanks for your comments.
meti57b
(3,584 posts)Tigress DEM
(7,887 posts)Worrying about a kid's hair.
Two barrettes and she'd be pulled back demur and leave the rest puffy.
Movie theater rule. If someone sitting behind you can't see the board, put on a clip or two and let there be light.
But to make someone CHANGE their style completely is ridiculous. Ask for some concessions, ok, but be reasonable. Be kind.
ogradda
(3,411 posts)For that refreshing breath of common sense.
TheDebbieDee
(11,119 posts)The girl was being bullied by her classmates over her hair. Instead of the school taking proper bully-prevention measures, school officials turned around and said, "Well, if her hair wasn't so crazy, she wouldn't be getting bullied!"
It's blame the victim ALL over again!
Also, the young lady's hair is BIG and beautiful......If (and when) you've got it, flaunt it!
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)after the bullies.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)NOT!
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Because within the context of what these folks believe, failure of the parents to submit to the authority of the school is reason enough to kick her out.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Sarcasm regarding the "Christian" school. The parent is the real Christian in attitude.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)There are some Christians who would opine that, in a dispute with another Christian, one resolves it with the other party without dragging in the local news team or complaining to others about it.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Good one. That's in the bible, I assume!
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)You aren't very familiar with the culture of these kinds of schools. But there is a swath of Bible thumpers who believe it is unbiblical to take their disputes outside of their own circle because of that passage.
---
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, .
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)I've always disliked the smell of some chemicals used to change hair texture. Just like I don't want to be near someone who has drenched themselves in cologne I also don't want to be near someone who smells like being downwind from a Dow chemical plant.
It seems clear that the school's reaction is more to the fact that the family objected to the bullying aimed at this young woman than anything to do with her chosen hair style.
malaise
(268,968 posts)We had a long thread about natural hair a few months ago.
Cha
(297,190 posts)talented. Much to be proud of.. not something to be made ashamed of by insisting she cut her hair.
The way I got it.. there was no problem until she reported on bullies whining about her hair. Instead of them being told to leave her alone or else.. she's made to cut her hair.
Response to The Straight Story (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
jmowreader
(50,557 posts)Which you will find at http://www.fcalions.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/FCA-Large-Student-Handbook-12-13.pdf.
Hair: Must be a natural color and must not be a distraction to include but not limited to mohawks, shaved designs, rat tails, etc. Boys' hair must be cut to above the eyes, mid-ear, and to the top of the collar. Boys must be clean shaven. This includes but is not limited to beards, sideburns, mustaches, goatees, etc.
Oh, and they tell you exactly where you must buy your school uniforms...kickbacks, anyone?
Oh Vanessa? You're not allowed to be unique in this school.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Now the school i saying she isn't going to be expelled, they are just going to insist that she "style" her hair differently--by that, I take it to mean they want her to pack it down so it isn't puffy like she likes it.
If you click on the link they've modified the story.
But wait, there's more--a few folks are hitting their facebook page and telling it like it is. I guess they keep scrubbing it, but people keep coming back and giving them a little what-for.
Oh, and here's the link to that page
https://www.facebook.com/fcaorlando
Vattel
(9,289 posts)RedstDem
(1,239 posts)good job mom...and dad
screw that school, filled with jealous souls
Bad Thoughts
(2,522 posts)If you are different in any way, the students may bully you, and the Christian administrators can intervene by kicking those who are different out of school. I'm sure the same lesson applies to other unique people (Muslims, Homosexuals, poor people, ...).
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)And it is a private school, so poor people are out too.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)At the very least, this is yet another example of dresscodes gone nuts....and at worst, perhaps even another form of cultural prejudice or even racism.