African-American girl faces expulsion over 'natural hair'

[The Straight Story]

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]

1. I wonder if this is about her hair being 'natural',

or if it is about the length and breadth of her hair.

[KitSileya]

5. Her hair isn't longer or broader than what the women in the administration

wore themselves in the 90s, only they achieved it with hours of teasing and chemicals.

[Jenoch]

13. I really don't have any idea to whom it is you refer.

[KitSileya]

15. If there are any women in the school administration,

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]

19. Now I got it.

I suppose the same could be said of the big Farrah hair of the late 70s and early 80s.

[Scootaloo]

29. Well, that's the way her hair grows

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]

34. I did not read the article.

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]

42. Well, you didn't read the article, but were fast with a "solution"

One that happened to paint the girl and her family as liars.

[Jenoch]

59. I looked at the photo of the girl.

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]

137. One solution would be not to support right wing private "Christian schools"

[Jenoch]

164. I understand your wish to not support such schools.

However, they do exist because of the 1st Amendment.

[jberryhill]

168. You miss the point

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]

195. I don't know the exact motives of

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]

196. I meant "case closed" in the colloquial sense

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]

197. I knew what you meant.

I find it annoying when people that term or 'nuff said.

[jberryhill]

200. Understood

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]

145. You're right, Scootaloo! The school is using the girl's hair as a distraction

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]

158. Absolutely

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]

162. A straight haired girl would be allowed to wear her hair loose and natural.

This is about the natural shape of her hair.

It's no different than discriminating against her if she were a redhead.

[Jenoch]

165. I really do not know why you are directing your comments to me.

I have posted nothing that would indicate I am opposed to this girl's hairstyle.

[pnwmom]

167. Because I am answering YOU. You wondered if this was about her hair being

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]

194. And I don't care how long this girls hair is.

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]

201. How did I misread this:

"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]

2. Her hair is beautiful!

It's the "Christians" who run the school that are ugly.

[yeoman6987]

10. School

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]

12. I didn't say anything about the school

I said the "Christians" who run it are ugly.

[yeoman6987]

20. Doesn't matter

It does not matter if the Christians who run the school are ugly. It is their school. Their rules.

[Tansy_Gold]

21. It matters to me. n/t

[Marr]

27. I hope you're being *intentionally* obtuse.

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.

[yeoman6987]

38. Hair

Are you saying the school does not have the right to set policy regarding hair? I pray that you are not saying that.

[Marr]

46. No, I'm saying that you're talking nonsense.

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]

48. Of course it's talking nonsense, but not because

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]

175. They don't have a policy banning African American hair,

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]

30. It does matter.

[a kennedy]

52. Do they receive "charter school" money??

Was wondering if it is a private with no public money school....

[Gravitycollapse]

128. This is OUR world, not just theirs. If you want accreditation...

Keep your racist bullshit out of your school. I don't care if it is private.

[yeoman6987]

130. School

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]

132. Private schools must meet unified standards for accreditation.

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]

160. Lol

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]

138. Free Exercise

Good luck with that.

[MADem]

181. Damn right. People are giving them shit, too, and they keep scrubbing the page...

https://www.facebook.com/fcaorlando

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]

143. ps's also have rules about stuff like this

but a churchschool that purports to celebrate Christ - well, I missed the bible chapter about taming ones hair

ironic

[pnwmom]

176. What? Didn't you know Jesus was a straight haired blond?

No way did he have frizzy hair!

[elehhhhna]

202. when in aramaic he's described as having hair like lamb's wool

they OBVIOUSLY meant light colored and bouncy

[pnwmom]

203. Obviously!

[pnwmom]

174. They didn't ban African American students from wearing their natural hair.

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]

36. Her hair is beautiful and so is she.

This is bullshit.

[RKP5637]

133. Apparently their god and their christians don't like natural things! Ugly christians again. n/t

[NastyRiffraff]

3. No surprise..

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]

4. she looks adorable n/t

[lame54]

11. agreed

[RKP5637]

134. +++ 1,000,000 +++ n/t

[NYC_SKP]

6. OMG!

This child has beautiful hair!

[Iggo]

31. Goddam! That is some boss hair!!!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

39. Can the kids sitting behind her see the chalk board?

I think it's beautiful but she should throw a rubber band or two in the mix during class.

[Niceguy1]

86. yeah there might be a practical reason

to all this it's really beautiful hair but it might cause problems.

[justiceischeap]

105. Or, you know, sit in the last row if that's an issue.

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]

159. Must not... make... bus... reference... n/t

[justiceischeap]

184. Yeah, I see that now... :) nt

[ogradda]

182. O she's darling!

What a cutie pie.

[Decaffeinated]

7. Private school and she agreed to the rules...

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]

8. Even private schools have rules to follow if they want to operate within the local laws

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]

67. I may have missed it...

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]

121. She's being blamed for being the victim of verbal bullies.

But the school has already backed off, according to the update.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

16. First of all, her hair is lovely

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]

22. Mostly because of the shite example she is setting...

... For her daughter along with her entitled attitude.

[blogslut]

25. Um what?

[Scootaloo]

32. She's a black woman, so she's by definition entitled, irrational, and bitchy

At least, by the definition Decaffeinated is relying on here.

[BainsBane]

87. I see this time and time again

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]

118. That's exactly what I just argued in another post on here, although

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]

193. Aside from the fact...

... 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]

41. In other words, she's being uppity and should know her place...

And this, on a Democratic board.

[Scootaloo]

43. Well, some Democrats haven't gotten past 1964 yet n/t

[Blue_Tires]

69. I would be pissed, but these antics have been allowed to stand for a few years now...

Admins by and large have stopped giving a shit about the racial stuff, so what am I wasting my energy for??

[Decaffeinated]

53. Which word confused you?

Dictionary.com

[blogslut]

58. Okay.

You go on with your bad self.

[LadyHawkAZ]

45. The shit example of being who you are, and not following the crowd

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]

62. She is free to do all of that...

... 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]

107. It wasn't a dress code issue until she complained of being bullied for it

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]

68. I suggest you switch to caffeine, tough guy...

[Tansy_Gold]

78. .

:spew:

[liberalhistorian]

117. Seems to me it's the parents

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]

135. Entitled?

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]

171. are you going after her cause she is black, or woman? entitled? wtf? nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. The rule just says her hair should not be 'a distraction'

which is ridiculously subjective.

Faith Christian Academy has a dress code and rules against how students can wear their hair. The student handbook reads: "Hair must be a natural color and must not be a distraction," and goes on to state examples that include, but are not limited to, mohawks, shaved designs and rat tails.

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]

76. "Distraction" = "anything any of us dislike for any reason." It's an absolute carte blanche. (nt)

[pnwmom]

163. Yup. My kid's hair was always a distraction to some people

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]

61. well when we live in a world with no laws or morals or ethics, sure.

in this world though, they cannot be racist and should face public censure

[Decaffeinated]

63. Right... it must be racist...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

74. I suspect you do not understand the policing in general of black womens hair

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]

80. My point is that it is not necessarily racist just because the child in question is black...

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]

82. no matter where we sign up to work or go to school, we dont sign up for racism

[RedCappedBandit]

91. Yeah, I'm sure they raise a stink about white girls hair when they let it grow naturally

Give me a fucking break

[liberalhistorian]

115. You need to work on your empathy and reading comprehension.

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]

120. And the parents are free to go public and put the private school

actions on public display.

And it worked because the school, according to the update, has already backed off.

[Decaffeinated]

141. That is our modern culture in a nutshell...

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]

142. They didn't agree contractually to having their daughter

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]

151. "way too broad to be part of a legal contract"

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]

154. You're right of course, they can. And the parents have every right

to make them the subject of public scorn.

[jberryhill]

157. I gotta believe people aren't general familiar with these schools

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]

9. Her hair doesn't seem that bad

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]

50. And that's the point.

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]

155. Should a redhead be forced to color her hair brown so it won't be a distraction?

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]

14. I think she looks just great.

They'd probably whine, harp on, whinge and moan even more if she had dreads.

[gollygee]

17. Her hair is beautiful

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]

18. I think she has beautiful hair. nt

[Kurska]

23. My lord, I was at least expecting something pretty wild.

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]

40. I was expecting to see a mane that required it's own desk in the classroom. n/t

[blogslut]

24. Sounds like the school administrators don't want to deal with the real problem.

From the article:

VanDyke said she's had her large, natural hair all year long, but it only became an issue after the family complained about students teasing her about her hair.

"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]

26. Keep the hair, ditch the Xtian school

[cali]

35. exactly.

[Brigid]

44. That's the ticket.

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.

[Iggo]

57. Yes.

[spinbaby]

33. Her hair is lovely

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]

37. I think she rocks her do and Faith Christian Academy should be ashamed. n/t

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

47. As a black woman who VERY PROUDLY wears her hair natural, I am very saddened by this story.

Very saddened!!

[dionysus]

49. 1) WOW, now thats a fro! 2) the administrators are imbeciles. nt

[Le Taz Hot]

51. Sly Stone and Angela Davis

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]

54. Later in life, she'll wonder why she can't keep a job.

Depending on the degree of conformity normal in her occupation.

[Posteritatis]

81. Somehow doubt that's going to be as much of a problem as people fretting about it like to claim. nt

[treestar]

55. WTF?

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]

56. Haters gonna' hate...

How she wears her hair is nobody's business.

TYY

[quinnox]

60. She is a pretty child, and I think she would look much better

with her hair not so puffy and big. My personal opinion is big hair really doesn't look good on most people.

[bluestate10]

64. She has a right to the style that she wants. But I too think that she is far better looking

with shorter hair, stunningly beautiful actually. But if long hair is part of her personal touch, so be it.

[quinnox]

66. I agree she will become a beautiful adult

She has a great look in her face, and in my opinion, the big hair distracts from it.

[LisaL]

152. That's her natural hair.

It's big.

[gollygee]

189. Big hair might be in again

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]

89. Is there some reason why your personal tastes are in any way relevant

to this child's civil rights?

[quinnox]

98. You will find that my personal tastes are very relevant

to many of my posts. And I am not alone in this, trust me. Its called a discussion forum.

[BainsBane]

103. This is about the child's civil rights

Not your repeatedly voiced distaste for black hair.

[quinnox]

106. OMG, it is about a religious school and their strict standards

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]

108. well, if you wanted to raise the issue of the rights of a religious school

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]

113. Ok, lol, but you don't know who I put on ignore and maybe sometimes I just ignore without using it,

the old fashioned way. You never, never, know for sure...

[BainsBane]

149. I think you did.

Or I got that impression anyway.

[JI7]

112. most black women do not have naturally sleek hair , this is alittle girl

and you think she should have to put chemicals and waste her time making her hair acceptable to certain types ?

[quinnox]

114. I think she should cut her hair, if she wants to continue to attend this fine educational

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]

116. so should someone with naturally straight hair the same length be forced to cut their hair

to stay in the school ?

[quinnox]

119. Yes, if the school objects to it

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]

122. what if they only object to black hair being more than a certain length ?

[quinnox]

126. Oh boy, now I see, you really are on a fishing expedition

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]

161. Well, the satanic ritual in your basement was scheduled for 8:00 pm.

Did you forget?

[BainsBane]

150. Dude, no

Just stop. File it under "I gotta learn to MYOB on certain things."

[xulamaude]

198. "Lots of black women have beautiful sleek hair"

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]

95. who gives a shit whether she is beautiful or not

[quinnox]

96. Well, you certainly don't!

[jberryhill]

139. The implication is...

...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]

148. This is not racism

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]

178. people grow hair differently, black girls can grow their hair the same length

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]

124. My personal opinion is that "looking good" should have nothing to do with school. n/t

[Go Vols]

65. Cool hair

plus she can play a fiddle.

[struggle4progress]

70. I feel the school really had to step in, because she's frightening the natives:

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]

71. Do they want her to straighten it, too?

This is part of the reason the term "Christian school" is a code word down South.

[DeschutesRiver]

75. The video clip at the link had the mother saying they did want it ”straightened". nt

[Ken Burch]

83. Well...as I said...in the South "Christian school" is still a code word.

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]

72. So, rather than standing up to the kids that are bullying her...the school is caving in to them...

Yet another example that supports the long-standing theory that conservatism depends of the survival of bully culture.

[kiva]

73. My standard reply:

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]

77. Ugh, all the "well, she just needs to conform" responses. (nt)

[Number23]

85. Yep. But I still love the "well, I personally believe that she would look better with shorter/

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]

88. Some really do not care

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]

90. Absolutely. And speaking in as general terms as I can

gender is just one subject they struggle with.

[BainsBane]

92. I see this hair issue as about race

It's targeting hair associated with blackness. But yeah, gender is not any better.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

101. those are my fav too. nt

[pnwmom]

123. I want to throw a pan at the heads of some of these morons.

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]

140. Just what do you think "Christian Schools" are about?

The POINT of these petri dishes of sociopathy is conformity.

[Posteritatis]

185. Which doesn't change the fact that people are lining up in this thread to advocate it. (nt)

[WillyT]

79. Is There A "Book Of Moron" With These Racist "Christians" ???

That girl is beautiful, and that school should consider itself LUCKY to have her.

[4 t 4]

94. oh- come on, wtf

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]

99. Hold on a minute, you left out it is a Christian Academy!!!!!

Update: African-American girl won't face expulsion over 'natural hair'

Vanessa VanDyke told to cut hair or leave Faith Christian Academy

[DreamGypsy]

97. Update: Orlando private school won't expel African-American girl over hair

The story has been updated:

After Local 6's original story aired, school administrators changed their requests of Vanessa and her family.

"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]

199. Nope just ask her not to wear her wig to class!

and wonder why someone so old is still in school!

[4 t 4]

100. you're not helping

false advertising. It's a Christian community! That's why even though it's not ok that is why. Christians

[diabeticman]

102. I don't see what the big deal about her hair is. It is pretty kind of reminds me of my wife's thick

hair.

[HockeyMom]

104. Idiotic dress codes

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]

109. I went to school in the 60s and I rocked bigger hair than that

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]

125. Basically, they're blaming her for being bullied about her hair.

Rather than going after the bullies, they're calling her and her hair a "distraction."

[frogmarch]

110. They want

her to act "white."

That's what I think, anyway.

Eff 'em.

[Glimmer of Hope]

111. It is natural! Are they asking her to use chemicals to straighten it?

I would sue their ass!

[TBF]

127. Conforming -

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]

136. Though, from what we can see, they have more rules about hair for boys than girls

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]

188. Good points all -

thanks for your comments.

[meti57b]

129. She should try a Jewish school. Plenty of Jews have big hair. It's called a "Jewfro".

[Tigress DEM]

131. Some people have too much time on their hands.

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]

183. Thank you.

For that refreshing breath of common sense.

[TheDebbieDee]

144. The girl's hair is the school's distraction from the real issue of bullying!

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]

156. Exactly. It's victim blaming. Easier for the school than going

after the bullies.

[Coyotl]

146. How very Christian of them!

NOT!

[jberryhill]

169. The school or the parents?

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]

170. Ooophs, forgot the sarcasm thingie.

Sarcasm regarding the "Christian" school. The parent is the real Christian in attitude.

[jberryhill]

172. Depends

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]

173. ROFLMFAO

Good one. That's in the bible, I assume!

[jberryhill]

191. Yes, it is: 1 Corinthians 6:1-8

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]

147. Her hair looks fine and probably smells far better then the chemical reek some womens' hair give off

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]

153. Sickening racists

We had a long thread about natural hair a few months ago.

[Cha]

166. Beautiful girl with her own beautiful hair and obviously

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.

[jmowreader]

179. I looked up the dress code for this school

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]

180. Just so everyone knows, there's been some movement in this story.

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]

186. She is right to fight this. It is racist.

[RedstDem]

187. that girl is absolutley adorable!

good job mom...and dad

screw that school, filled with jealous souls

[Bad Thoughts]

190. It's a teaching moment for the school

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]

192. Muslims and homosexuals are not allowed in this school

And it is a private school, so poor people are out too.

[AverageJoe90]

204. This is just plain stupid. Can't believe some are still so discriminatory these days.

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.