Girl says school threatening expulsion over her

By Hum
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Grand Master

Hum

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ORLANDO, FL -- 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.

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.

"A distraction to one person is not a distraction to another," said VanDyke's mother, Sabrina Kent. "You can have a kid come in with pimples on his face. Are you going to call that a distraction?" :huh:

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.

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+Asmodai MVC

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Girl says school threatening expulsion over her 'natural form'.

Argues why can't I go to school without clothes on, it's natural.

Something being natural doesn't automatically make it ok. It's natural to go to the bathroom too but I don't want people taking a dump in public spaces. It's a private school and if they want to restrict haircuts they can. I'd certainly put what her hair looks like in a category with other expressive ones like mohawks. If she doesn't like the rule take her money (I assume since it's a private school she pays to go there) and go elsewhere, their loss. I do hope it's at least clean though.

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Grand Master

astropheed Veteran

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  • Veteran
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Should the School have these rules? No, it's lame.

Does the School have these rules? Yes, so obey them or get out.

 

She isn't a special case here and she won't be in the real world.

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Grand Master

XerXis

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First of all, I don't understand why she is being teased about it, she is beautiful. Her hair is amazing.

 

But yeah, schools can make their own rules, and she should comply or go to another school.

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Grand Master

_neutrino Veteran

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all i got from reading that is, if she hadnt stood up for herself they would not be trying to force her to change her hairstyle.

 

at the same time it looks like the school just does not want to have to deal with the problem.

Grand Master

Arachno 1D

Posted
Posted

I dont see where it contravenes school rules in that those who quote it as a distraction are wrong.Its not styled or cropped and although the style is not normally seen that does not make it a distraction i.e. lewdly cut,shaped or coloured which is what I think they actually meant to say but put it more plainly,

If a well known teen celebrity started there would not their hair style also become a distraction?

Grand Master

Syanide

Posted
Posted

She could put a band around it or something. My natural hair would be like Jesus or something, but I choose to keep it cut / styled / tidy. She could at least do one of those.

 

But that's her natural hair, and it doesn't look provocative, untidy, and it doesn't send out any messages. I mean, if she had a meter long mohawk, sure, that's a problem, but this? That's just her hair, and instead of forcing her to readjust maybe they should deal with the kids picking on her, that's the bigger problem here.

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Grand Master

torrentthief

Posted
Posted

If there's a rule about length, okay, and I suppose everyone should follow the rule. If it's about being straight, that's kinda racist.

white people don't have curly hair? Her hair is enormous, it is very distracting, especially if other kids are teasing about it. The school rules say no distracting hair therefore she broke the rules. Her mother is a ###### mother, she is prepared to harm the girl's education moving her school so she doesn't have to cut it.

Grand Master

techbeck

Posted
Posted

If you're not black, then you can't comprehend how annoying it is for us.

I have also been in places where I was the minority and heard comments about white people and even treated different. Racism is every where and most experience it at some point and time. Yes, even white people.

Grand Master

Syanide

Posted
Posted

I'd honestly recommend everyone watch the Chris Rock documentary called "Good Hair" to gain some perspective on the "relationship" black women have with their hair. That stuff blew my mind and it just shows how sometimes you put exactly 0% of thought into some issues that don't concern you personally.

 

But to backpedal a bit from the race argument, I do think this would be wrong even if the girl was white, if her hair was naturally curly, you need to accept as that being her natural form. You wouldn't ask a bald guy to wear a wig because his baldness offends you and looks out of the norm, right? Her hair is just fine and nothing too out of the ordinary, so I think it's unfair to ask her to adjust to some standard that doesn't really exist.

Grand Master

trag3dy

Posted
Posted

I'd honestly recommend everyone watch the Chris Rock documentary called "Good Hair" to gain some perspective on the "relationship" black women have with their hair. That stuff blew my mind and it just shows how sometimes you put exactly 0% of thought into some issues that don't concern you personally.

 

But to backpedal a bit from the race argument, I do think this would be wrong even if the girl was white, if her hair was naturally curly, you need to accept as that being her natural form. You wouldn't ask a bald guy to wear a wig because his baldness offends you and looks out of the norm, right? Her hair is just fine and nothing too out of the ordinary, so I think it's unfair to ask her to adjust to some standard that doesn't really exist.

 

Most women are like that. I don't think it's strictly a black women thing.

Grand Master

Syanide

Posted
Posted

Most women are like that. I don't think it's strictly a black women thing.

 

Yes, most women are irrational when it comes to hair (the ones with straight hair always want it curly, and the ones with curly hair always want it straight -- basing this on about a dozen times I've had to wait for hours for girls to get their hair done), but what was especially eye-opening with Good Hair is the amount of trouble black women go through to get "good hair." Watch the documentary, it's available on YouTube if you search for it, it's a really interesting watch.

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