Student told to cut hair if he wants to walk across the stage at graduation.

[mag]

I would like to say this surprises me, but it doesn’t.

Black Texas Teen Learns He Won't Walk At Graduation Unless He Cuts His Locs

High school senior DeAndre Arnold said he's fighting the district's policy because he's "willing to take a stand."

www.huffingtonpost.ca

 

[canbelto]

About to get on my soapbox: the regulations about hair are RIDICULOUS. Someone, somewhere decided that the only type of hair that's acceptable is straight, shiny, preferably blond hair. A standard that most white women can't meet -- thus, the ridiculous amount of hair products and flat irons for fear that a lock will become curly. The most gorgeous Hollywood actresses fall victim to this impossible standard of beauty: note how Nicole Kidman's red curly hair has over the years become straight and white blond. Also how Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (who has naturally curly, dark hair) has also taken to frosted blond highlights and the hair straightener. And also, to use a woman of color: Beyonce's wig has become straighter and blonder every year.

This is not just racist, this is oppressive against EVERYONE who does not happen to have straight, shiny, light-colored hair. Hair is something that people can't help. Some people are bald. Some people have thin hair. Hair comes in all colors -- blond being the rarest. Hair can be kinky, hair can be curly, hair can be in braids, hair can be styled in all different ways.

This young man is not misbehaving. He is not being disrespectful. It's outrageous that he was suspended and even more outrageous that he won't be allowed to graduate. This is where cancel culture should kick in -- start inundating the school district with emails and tweets pointing out how racist this is.

Everyone's hair is beautiful.

 

[mag]

@canbelto Exactly what I was thinking but you ave said it better than ever could. As someone who does not have straight, blonde, hair, I can tell you the pressure to conform is crazy. It is only now that I am old and bitter that I just don’t care what other people think.

 

[canbelto]

Also, can the school even bar a student from graduation for something that's not a behavioral infraction?

 

[canbelto]

And to get on my soapbox more: the kid in question is male, but I think females of all races suffer more from this hair standard. And while I understand how much pressure there is for entertainers to conform to standards of beauty I really wish JLo and Beyonce would have kept their dark, curly hair. Both of them use either wigs or hair extensions to get that straight blond look.

 

[Jay42]

I've definitely read articles about women being made to keep their hair shorter if it's curly or black girls in school being told they can't have afros. At least some of what happened with Gabrielle Union on America's Got Talent seemed to be linked to her wearing hairstyles that were very not white.

 

[mag]

And girls tend to have a whole other set of “dress code” restrictions that are both unreasonable and demeaning. Don’t get me started on dress that “distracts the boys!”

 

[Wyliefan]

It's disgusting how they're treating this young man. He's always worn his hair up to comply with the regulations, so then they change the regulations on him. I really hope the outcry makes them back down.

 

[agalisgv]

This is a massive lawsuit waiting to happen. Apparently a second student from the school has been suspended as well (also black). I suspect 48 hours after a suit is filed the students are reinstated.

 

[canbelto]

They need to back down. This is so not okay that not only is he not allowed to graduate, he's suspended from class. What the HELL? I say this as someone who's worked in inner city schools for years. I only WISH the suspensions that happened were because of a shocking, disrespectful, disruptive behavioral infraction like hair being worn in braids. Instead it's something like "_____ is serving a 5 day suspension for a physical altercation ..."

 

[mag]

I think it would be fabulous if the rest of the grad class arrived at school in wigs done in a similar style. Even if they were homemade from yarn or just long hair from a dollar store. Just to make a point.

 

[misskarne]

I just...it's 2020. How can such blatantly racist behaviour be allowed to happen in a school? And be a district policy?

 

[maatTheViking]

I guess according to the article the policy is about the length of hair

The student told KPRC that he has worn his hair pinned up to school to remain in compliance. But Arnold’s family claims that the school district revised its policy over the holidays to include more restrictions on hair length.

“They say that even though my hair is up, and off of all the regulations, that if it was down it would be out of dress code,” Arnold told the news station.

The Barbers Hill ISD hair policy that appears on its website states that male students’ hair should not “extend, at any time, below the eyebrows, or below the ear lobes.”

“Male students’ hair must not extend below the top of a t-shirt collar or be gathered or worn in a style that would allow the hair to extend below the top of a t-shirt collar, below the eyebrows, or below the ear lobes when let down,” the policy continues.

but I'm guessing singling out this guy is rooted in racism - even if that policy is totally outrageous in itself - no long hair on boys, wtf? Is this 1950?

 

[Amy L]

I just...it's 2020. How can such blatantly racist behaviour be allowed to happen in a school? And be a district policy?

Welcome to Texas.

When I was in high school (21-25 years ago), I personally witnessed a student of Indian descent get harassed. She had a nose piercing, which was not allowed in school, but it was part of her religious practices. No one could suspend her, so they would just bother the sh*t out of her and hoped that she would take it out. The one day at lunch (I normally didn't eat with her, but she was a friend of a friend of a friend, so I got in her orbit once), I saw that teachers and principals, as if they were on an assembly line, one by one would come up to her and say something like, "No one else gets to have piercings" "Piercings are a distractions, that's why they're not allowed". The stupidest comment, from an assistant principal, was pointing out that the other Indian girl (not a diverse place obvs) didn't have a nose ring, and then hinted that she was lying about her religion. Another one even hinted that her religion was wrong (in a public school!) The other Indian student was a Christian, so she didn't have a nose piercing and she was always used as a "proper example" to the girl in question. I asked her they did that to her every day and she said yes.

She was a few years younger than me, so I don't know if she ever caved in or not. I don't even remember her name, but I'll never forget eating lunch at the same table as her that one day. Most people would never notice a tiny diamond in her nose, but a train of middle-aged "educators" calling her a liar for a full lunch period definitely was.

 

[canbelto]

People seriously need a life. Like, if you're a school, and you're worried about a kid in braids and not whether children are learning/school is safe/quality of instruction then you should not be in education.

 

[mag]

People seriously need a life. Like, if you're a school, and you're worried about a kid in braids and not whether children are learning/school is safe/quality of instruction then you should not be in education.

I suspect they would argue that they are doing both. That they are grooming their students for the “real world” so they can get “real jobs” or something like that. While this example is clearly racist, dress codes are about power and control as well as about creating an “other” so those who conform can feel superior. So groups that are perceived to have less power, people of colour, females, LBGQT+, are easy pickings.

The only way I see things changing is if the students themselves decide to change things. Unfortunately, while dress code issues have been around forever, I think the current political climate is not only providing schools with some cover, it could also be bullying others into not speaking out again the injustices. Interesting how, whether on the topic of guns or racism, we expect children to stand and be counted, to speak truth to power, when adults won’t.

 

[canbelto]

I suspect they would argue that they are doing both. That they are grooming their students for the “real world” so they can get “real jobs” or something like that. While this example is clearly racist, dress codes are about power and control as well as about creating an “other” so those who conform can feel superior. So groups that are perceived to have less power, people of colour, females, LBGQT+, are easy pickings.

The only way I see things changing is if the students themselves decide to change things. Unfortunately, while dress code issues have been around forever, I think the current political climate is not only providing schools with some cover, it could also be bullying others into not speaking out again the injustices. Interesting how, whether on the topic of guns or racism, we expect children to stand and be counted, to speak truth to power, when adults won’t.

I have very bad memories of working for a principal who called us all in for a 2 hour professional development. FYI this lady happened to be a dark-skinned woman of Jamaican descent. The two hours was the most ridiculous dress code PD I've ever sat through -- it went beyond differentiating between "business casual" and what not. This lady inspected all our shoes and told us whether they were acceptable or not. Then she actually brought out a rack of her own clothes and shoes. All designer. She said "Ladies just dress like me." She was wearing Christian Lobutin red bottom pumps. She said "Dress for success."

Anyway this woman was an absolute disaster as a principal and let go after a year where she mostly hid in her office as the school ran wild. But yeah, restrictive dress codes are a sore spot for me.

 

[Aceon6]

.

I've definitely read articles about women being made to keep their hair shorter if it's curly or black girls in school being told they can't have afros. At least some of what happened with Gabrielle Union on America's Got Talent seemed to be linked to her wearing hairstyles that were very not white.

I've definitely read articles about women being made to keep their hair shorter if it's curly or black girls in school being told they can't have afros. At least some of what happened with Gabrielle Union on America's Got Talent seemed to be linked to her wearing hairstyles that were very not white.

Color me confused.

 

[Jay42]

.


Color me confused.

Same here. I didn't even notice until I got the notification that you had quoted me.

 

[Yehudi]

^^^^
There are bots that spam message boards by copying texts If other posts.

 

[Judy]

it says it is an independent school. I know what that means in Canada (private) is this the same there or is it entirely different?