Turns out the dress code restricts "trendy" hair styles, defined as braids with beads and no unnatural hair dye. It also calls for boys' hair not to extend below their collars and to be out of their eyes. My son's locs meets this criteria exactly.
I shared that the other teacher(black) stated that his hair would have to be shaved to his head, even though I saw white and Latino boys whose hair was longer. I was speaking to the Asst Principal (non-black) who stated that she was unaware that this was policy, and that as far as she was concerned, his hair should not be a problem. And despite what the "other" teacher said, the only person to make that call was the Principal, who was still on bereavement leave.
It's hard to believe that even now, some of us are still living like crabs in a barrel.
So, I'm not going to stress over this anymore; I am not shaving his head, but I am willing to keep it at it's current length during the school year. If we are admitted into this school, my son will not be taught by the "other" teacher, so hopefully that will cut down on some possible backlash. The administration would have revealed to me an open minded attitude about diversity and all is well in our universe.
However, if the principal calls back and tells me that locs are not acceptable, regardless of length, then I know this is not a place we want to be anyway.
I'll let you know what we decide.
American association of cancer researchers
3 years ago
4 comments:
Oh, I'm glad to hear the first person was probably mistaken! The Catholic school my brothers attended required that boys' hair be cut above the collar, a natural-looking color, and if necessary tucked behind the ear rather than flopping all over the face. I hope they'll have something like this in mind rather than what the policy sounded like at first. It's so sad how much prejudice and self-hate there is out there.
The policies and requirements in both places seem to be the same.
And you're right, the self-hate is still very much in evidence. She didn't even give us an opportunity to say anything or express ourselves before judging us unfit.
Thanks for your comments.
This makes me cringe on the inside. I guess I don't see how a child's hair impacts their learning environment. I get the attire and the desire to create a uniform atmosphere so all that matters is education however I am one for creative expression.
For some of us... we are to look the part, talk the talk, walk the walk and do a little jig just to assimilate and should we stand our ground, we are tyrants.
Hopefully once the principal comes back, this all will be clarified and work in your and your son's favor.
MsKIA: I really hope so too! I gave up the jiggy thing a long time ago and I'm trying to lead by example that my son can learn to balance being his authentic, true self and becoming a productive, responsible citizen.
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