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A Florida school told a 12-year-old African-American girl that she either does something with her hair or should start looking for a new school, WKMG reported.
Vanessa VanDyke told the station that officials at Faith Christian Academy in Orlando are giving her one week to cut her overgrown hair, which she wears natural, with no styling.
The school's not demanding that she cut her hair. They are demanding that she wear it in such a way that it's not a distraction. And I'm sorry, if I was sitting behind her in class, her hair would impede my ability to see what's happening in the front of a class. If I went to the movies, and she sat in front of me, I wouldn't be able to see the screen. That IS a distraction. And she could certainly do something with her hair so that it wouldn't block other people's vision.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
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*shakes head at what we've become*. Can't her mother say, "okay.. if it's distracting the other children, and yes perhaps they can't see around her hair, we'll make a compromise. Set her in the back, or find another style." Another selfish wanter of fifteen minutes of fame......
There are a number of obfuscating details with this particular case.
However, if reduced to the headline-level information, IMO it would not be out of line for the school to ask her to pull her hair back for class. That does not involve making any self-identity transformations--black people with long natural or dreadlocked hair pull it back temporarily for many different reasons.
This is a private school, and private schools usually have--and are expected to have--more restrictive rules of dress and procedure than public schools...that's part of what you're paying for.
The school's not demanding that she cut her hair. They are demanding that she wear it in such a way that it's not a distraction. And I'm sorry, if I was sitting behind her in class, her hair would impede my ability to see what's happening in the front of a class. If I went to the movies, and she sat in front of me, I wouldn't be able to see the screen. That IS a distraction. And she could certainly do something with her hair so that it wouldn't block other people's vision.
This is a faux freedom she's arguing for.
Not only would it block your vision but it is also a fire hazard. One spark near her hair and the whole building would be ablaze with her running down the hallways like a human torch setting everything on fire as she went.
Not only would it block your vision but it is also a fire hazard. One spark near her hair and the whole building would be ablaze with her running down the hallways like a human torch setting everything on fire as she went.
The school's not demanding that she cut her hair. They are demanding that she wear it in such a way that it's not a distraction. And I'm sorry, if I was sitting behind her in class, her hair would impede my ability to see what's happening in the front of a class. If I went to the movies, and she sat in front of me, I wouldn't be able to see the screen. That IS a distraction. And she could certainly do something with her hair so that it wouldn't block other people's vision.
This is a faux freedom she's arguing for.
It's not?
From the article:
Quote:
Vanessa VanDyke told the station that officials at Faith Christian Academy in Orlando are giving her one week to cut her overgrown hair, which she wears natural, with no styling. If she refuses to cut and shape her hair, the private school, which has rules regarding how students wear their hair, said she is not allowed to attend classes, she told the station.
Yes, the student made that statement. The school, however, has stated that they didn't ask her to cut her hair, or to add product to her hair. They simply asked her to wear her hair in such a way that other students weren't distracted.
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