Picture this: you arrive on your first day of school with a fresh new hairstyle excited about the new year only to find out the school’s policy on hair has changed. Later, you are kicked out for wearing the hair extensions that make your hair much easier to manage.
This was the reality for Faith Fennidy, a sixth grader at Christ The King Parish School in Terrytown, Louisiana. Unbeknownst to Faith and her family, the school changed its dress code over the summer which now forbids students to wear hair extensions, clip ins, or weaves.
Faith’s brother, Steven, expressed his frustration with the situation on a viral Facebook video, where he said, “[They] don’t care and it’s just one more barrier to entry for black people. This decision is going to affect black children more than white children.”
Many prolific figures have responded to the video, including rapper T.I., who had quite a lot to say against the school for what he perceived as bias towards black students.
In response to backlash faced after the video was posted, the Archdiocese of New Orleans released a statement from Superintendent RaeNell Billiot Houston via WGNO:
“Archdiocese of New Orleans schools develop policies appropriate for their respective schools. Christ the King Elementary School has a policy that states: ‘Boys and Girls: Only the students’ natural hair is permitted.’
This policy was communicated to all parents during the summer and again before the first day of school, and was applied to all students. Furthermore, the school leadership worked with families as needed to ensure compliance.”
Additionally, school administrators said that Faith’s family was informed when she came into school on the first day. Although her hairstyle had changed over the weekend, she still had extensions in, which is what prompted her being escorted out of class. At this point, Faith and her family decided she would no longer be attending the school.
Unfortunately, this situation isn’t the first of its kind. Just recently, a boy in Florida was kicked out of school for wearing dreadlocks. What do you think: was the school justified in kicking Faith for her hair or is the policy completely unfair, especially to black children? Let us know in the comments!