Black girl expelled over hairstyle; School policy blasted
Source: Associated Press
Updated 4:09 pm CDT, Tuesday, August 21, 2018
NEW ORLEANS (AP) Video of a young black girl leaving her New Orleans area Catholic school in tears after being told her hair extensions violated school policy is prompting thousands of social media comments many expressing puzzlement or outrage.
Some accuse Christ the King Middle School of racism, including social activist Shaun King on Twitter and rapper T.I. on Instagram.
Sixth-grader Faith Fennidy's brother Steven posted Facebook video showing her leaving school with relatives. Her braids are pulled back and hang slightly below the neckline.
A statement from the Archdiocese of New Orleans school superintendent says the school told families of the policy over the summer. Fennidy's post says there are practical reasons for the hair extensions. The family told WWL-TV they are considering a discrimination lawsuit.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Video-of-tearful-girl-sparks-anger-over-school-s-13172182.php
(Short article, no more at link.)
RhodeIslandOne
(5,042 posts)Doodley
(9,124 posts)RhodeIslandOne
(5,042 posts)....you better know the dress code or not send them there. It's pretty simple.
It's not the child's disobeying that caused this.
Doodley
(9,124 posts)Solly Mack
(90,785 posts)So, no perms? If you're not born with curly hair then getting a perm to get curls isn't your natural (existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind) hair. Neither is coloring your hair.
I'm sure the staff is leading by example, yes?
The child's hair is fine. This is beyond silly.
Fullduplexxx
(7,870 posts)Now is anyone on the staff wearing a wig? Toupee? Cause those are nt
Solly Mack
(90,785 posts)Extensions connect to natural hair.
A perm is a chemical process done to natural hair.
Coloring is a chemical process done to natural hair.
All 3 change the natural hair.
ALL 3.
Extensions are neither a wig nor a toupee.
Fullduplexxx
(7,870 posts)But hey there are lots of people so i could be wrong but that's how i took it ....
Solly Mack
(90,785 posts)Or those who don't know that hair extensions are neither wigs nor toupees?
"Everyone else" is a mighty bold claim.
Obviously the school disagrees. It's rather self-evident in the article.
But that doesn't make the school right.
Fullduplexxx
(7,870 posts)Solly Mack
(90,785 posts)Natural means - existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind
One of the ways the word is used and none of the rest include human made products either.
Fullduplexxx
(7,870 posts)Anyway idont care right now because of cohen manafort and duncan
Solly Mack
(90,785 posts)LMAO
OK
Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)Do you imagine the school would not allow a teacher or a student to not wear a wig to school if that person had a need to wear one, as in someone who had been through chemotherapy, etc.?
Fullduplexxx
(7,870 posts)Does it have to be YOUR natural hair
KayF
(1,345 posts)every math teacher I ever had wore a rug
Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)It would have been a challenge for several of my former teachers as well.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)A Catholic school is going to be strict. Everyone knows that. They don't allow extensions and I'm sure many other things that "civilians" think are normal. Extensions aren't exclusively for black people, although most who wear them are of color. But most black people don't wear extensions. And a lot of white people wear extensions of different sorts. Not necessarily braided.
The school is into a child being natural, I guess. Not sure of the reason. Why send your kid to school wearing something that is against the rules?
Solly Mack
(90,785 posts)Fullduplexxx
(7,870 posts)Igel
(35,356 posts)It's one example, one instance.
Is it a policy that's applied just to hair extensions for AfAm kids, or for all kinds of other situations?
If the former, discrimination; if the later, uniform application of the rules without special status for one group.
bucolic_frolic
(43,281 posts)and they are putting the wrong thing in her mind with this nonsense
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)morality, health, etc. Everyone knows that Catholic schools are strict about everything.
atreides1
(16,093 posts)A Catholic school is also about control, just like the church!
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I grew up in Catholic Land, so am very familiar with it. All churches are about control...it IS about a deity, after all. But the Catholic Church is more regimented,ritualistic, and has more of a heirarchy. This can actually be comforting to people, since it leaves less open to question. If a person does this and that, then he can enter Heaven, cleansed of sin. That sort of thing. It's also pleasant for some to go through the rituals.
The Catholic Church is loose about dress for mass during the week. They welcome people stopping by on a whim to participate in mass, whether they're dressed for blue collar work or whatever. But Catholic schools are different, and are very strict about dress and behavior, as they seek to teach kids to adhere to rules, be moral, focus on the Church and studies instead of more superficial things, etc. This is where parents send misbehaving kids to straighten them out. Some kids do find a sense of security in all the rules. There is the thinking that having too much discretion is not good for kids; it's hard to handle, until you get older. Anyway, everyone knows the deal about those schools. They are strict & regimented. If you want your kid to express herself, get into art, be more liberal, you don't send your kid to a Catholic school! Or a Jewish school, for that matter. Also a regimented environment.
Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)https://www.facebook.com/steven.fennidy/videos/10214859474753091/?t=8
She couldn't look more like a Catholic school girl. Unbelievable!
Owl
(3,643 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)crim son
(27,464 posts)it appears to me that this is the same old shite. The school has rules. You and I may not agree with them but when you enroll your kid, you are signing up to obey the school dress code. As for this being a racial issue, what is the evidence?
People don't seem to understand that they are not exempt from rules and regulations simply because they don't like them.
rogue emissary
(3,148 posts)Without a second of research or googling. I'd wager there are white children with unnatural hair processes and coloring going to that school. The whole issue is the dress code definition of natural hair.
I'd agree with the sentiment of rules are rules. The parents knew about them before the school year started. What many of us have a problem with is the policy isn't about religious doctrine. It's not about cleanliness or being neat. It's a rule to make blackness a crime. If it weren't the articles would have detailed white children's expulsion.
Reading the article in post #21. The parents did try to change the hairstyle to comply with the new policy that the school changed this last summer.
maxsolomon
(33,400 posts)"Natural Hair" means no extensions. I assume that extensions CAN and HAVE BEEN used by Caucasian and Asian kids on occasion, but they're FAR more common in African American communities. There are weaving salons.
That is the "evidence".
Sgent
(5,857 posts)A black girl with extensions was not allowed to attend classes at a Terrytown private school because administrators said her hairstyle was against school policy, family members confirmed Tuesday morning (Aug. 21). Their comments on social media quickly gained national attention, including those of rapper T.I. and social activist Shaun King.
Montrelle Fennidy confirmed Tuesday morning that her 11-year-old daughter Faith is no longer a student at Christ the King Elementary School in Terrytown. She was in the process of finding a new school for her 6th grader.
<cut>
The archdiocese in statement said the girl's hairstyle violated the Terrytown school's requirement that all students have natural hair.
A video of Faith, shot by her brother Steven Fennidy, went viral Monday after he posted it on Facebook. In the video shot Monday, Faith is shown in tears as she leaves Christ the King. She's wearing a school uniform and has her hair styled in a shoulder-length ponytail.
----------
I don't know if this is racist, but I'm guessing probably not since probably over 50% of the Archdiocese of New Orleans students are black. As for suing there is no case -- religious schools can discriminate for religious reasons (modest dress). They could have as official policy they only accept white people and it would still be constitutional.
LisaM
(27,830 posts)I think I'd question this policy as yet another one that discriminates against girls over boys, since girls are more likely to have extensions.
I don't really get why they created this policy. Sometimes these stories lack so much context it's maddening. Nothing about her hair seems the least bit objectionable.
mahannah
(893 posts)displacedtexan
(15,696 posts)SunSeeker
(51,695 posts)This from the church that has protected pedophile priests. I guess none of those pedophiles wore extensions.
ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)students behind her, then the school can't do a damned thing? I say that's the way to go.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)to education, including blocking the view.
Catholic schools are very strict and are not for those who want to express their individuality. The Catholic school is about conformity, and the purpose of being there education in regular and religious studies, and glorification of the Church. Strict on talking, misbehaving, not adhering to the strict rules.
ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)I think this "conforming" sounds an awful lot like "whitening", so having a massive "natural hair" fro seemed to me a good way to protest. It's a culture war.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)It's not whitening, IMO. It's a general rule that applies to everyone. Catholic schools are strict. That's why they exist...rules. The Catholic Church itself is rule-oriented. It teaches kids to obey rules, as one of the purposes of the school. Not a bad thing. It will be that way in the working world. And puts the focus on the lessons.
Plenty of white women have extensions...to make their hair longer, fill in for thin hair, whatever. And most black women and white women don't have extensions.
But if someone wants their kid to express their individualism, you don't send her to a Catholic school. That is not what those schools are about. You won't find pink or purple hair there, either. "Natural" is the rule.
TygrBright
(20,763 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)cstanleytech
(26,319 posts)and if you do not want to do that then find another school that will accommodate you.
The Liberal Lion
(1,414 posts)yeah religion!
Mike Nelson
(9,966 posts)
about hair and clothing
but this young woman looks appropriate (and very nice). If anything, her appearance could be called conservative! What about a student with cancer who wishes to wear a wig? What about the staff - with wigs, falls, toupees and weaves?
maybe some others wore hair extensions that were inappropriate and they banned them?
moriah
(8,311 posts)... could be perming or straightening. No extensions or wigs. It would appear that boys of color could have trouble with haircuts as well because they were very adamant about no razor-lines or "fade" lines showing showing, or obviously different lengths like shaved on the sides and long on top, but at the same the hair can't be just shaven down uniformly either. From the writing it mainly seems to aim to prevent white kids from doing stupid shit with their hair, but ignoring the fact that hair with texture behaves differently.
But no hair dye (even to change to another natural looking color), and no wigs, hairpieces, or extensions. Which would definitely affect a student with cancer, but is far more likely to affect African-American students simply because there hopefully are more children of color enrolling than students with cancer.
If I actually thought the school was enforcing this policy to make every student love themselves as God made them, or to enforce school discipline, I'd have less issues with hair dress codes.
But I can't buy that when they are scrutinizing very conservative hairstyles for evidence of "unnatural" hair, and doing it in a manner that's humiliating to the student because their natural hair won't look that way without tons of chemical treatment.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Extension to make hair longer, make hair thicker.
The Catholic Church itself is all about rules. Rules rules rules. So a Catholic school would be, too. If someone doesn't want that, they should not send their kid to a Catholic school, then complain about the rules. That is one of the purposes of the school...learning to adhere to rules.
Not a bad thing, since the working world has lots and lots of rules.
moriah
(8,311 posts)We rely on mousse, hairspray, and volumizing shampoo to puff up our flat-ass hair if it's straight, and spend hours with a straightening iron if it's curly.
Then again, CFCs were still legal when I was in high school, Aqua-Net was a staple.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)It's those extensions in the hair that look completely natural and like part of the hair. I've seen it on tv...Judge Judy in particular. And biography documentaries, showing a celebrity getting extensions. It's similar to what we used to call "falls" - bits of hair attached to pins or combs you stick in your hair at various places to lengthen or fill out hair. Joan Rivers had them...she mentioned them once. Except these days they're actually attached to your hair.
Braided extensions were a thing back in the day. Remember Bo Derek in "10"?
Note: There is no rule against braids on girls, that I saw. Just the extensions.
It's mainly black girls who wear them. But I'm pointing out that white girls do, too, to a lesser extent.
moriah
(8,311 posts).... I don't know a single white woman with the MONEY to get extensions/weaves to match their exact haircolor.
When I was in high school, it was all about heat and hairspray. People in earlier generations were about curlers overnight and hairspray, but my coming of age was when hot curlers, curling irons, etc, were the thing. Home perms, home dye jobs... that's been what I'm used to helping friends with.
Perhaps there is some company that makes extensions that wouldn't look obviously false in my ginger hair. (I've avoided the hairdye thing as a result -- no color would match my roots, and I am letting it do its own thing as I approach 40.)
But I am pretty sure it would cost a lot more than extensions for black women, just because it's not going to be readily available.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)My hair is brown. It'd be easy to match a "fall" or extensions or anything to it. I wouldn't pay the money, though, and I don't need extensions (if anyone "needs" them).
I was surprised when I saw lawsuits on Judge Judy at how much they cost! And these were just working women who had gotten them. Some women find the money somehow to spend on hair, professionally manicured nails, and the like. As for me...I prefer to spend money on other things.
moriah
(8,311 posts)I didn't have that much money in my life to direct to frivolity long, and had I been going to the salon for color or perm maintenance I'd not have been able to afford them even then.
Still, if they're allowing relaxer or perms, they're not truly advocating for everyone to love themselves as children of God just as He made them. So the policy isn't based around that. And there's nothing disruptive about the hairstyle shown.
I'll leave it at this -- if I was that parent and decided as they had to move my child to a different school after such humiliation, I would be demanding a full tuition refund, not any pro-rated BS. The policy disproportionately affects students of color wearing non-disruptive hairstyles for no reason that can clearly be explained by the other themes in the dress code. It would be far cheaper for the school to completely refund tuition than face discrimination lawsuits, and so hopefully they'd not try to fight over deposits and a few weeks tuition.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I'm thinking the school provides all its dress and grooming codes ahead of time. Then the school said that the summer before, there was a meeting with parents , where the codes were made clear & discussed.
Chemisse
(30,817 posts)is if it has more of an impact on the hair styles or manageability of black girls than white girls.`
And if that is the case, the parents (and other parents) should have spoken with the administrators over the summer, not sent their child to school in violation of the rule, so she would be embarrassed this way.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)EVER !!!!!!!!!!!
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)"This policy was communicated to all parents during the summer and again before the first day of school,"
Archdiocese of New Orleans Schools Superintendent RaeNell Houston said in a statement to media.
"Furthermore, the school leadership worked with families as needed to ensure compliance."
McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)And I mean ALL of them. Solidarity. There is nothing in the rules against getting a perm. They can all have wooley heads like Jesus.
Cold War Spook
(1,279 posts)Does anyone even do it now?
MountCleaners
(1,148 posts)The policy is racist and they need to change it to be more culturally sensitive. I'll never forget when a nun in high school told me to straighten my hair!
haele
(12,676 posts)She always wore extensions just to give a uniform appearance, as she was a CVN and needed to look professional.
Without the extensions, it was unevenly short and thin, with her scalp clearly visible in places under the tight, frizzy curls. She hated wigs and straighteners - which would have given her a Diane Carroll type page cut look - so she went to the salon every couple months for work on her extensions.
Y'know, even the military allows extensions for black women so long as they look neat and natural - and have for a couple decades now.
Haele
alphafemale
(18,497 posts)Always.
It's almost as if they are doing it on purpose.
....wait.