An elementary school in Georgia has come under fire after it created and displayed a poster dictating ‘appropriate’ and ‘inappropriate’ hairstyles for black students.
One parent of a student of the Narvie Harris Elementary School noticed the controversial diagram as she passed through the halls and took a picture.
Outraged, the woman shared it with her friend Danay Helena, who in-turn shared it on Facebook where it has since been shared thousands of times.
‘Wowzers....so that’s how y’all feel Dekalb County Schools?...Hair is a form of self-expression, shouldn’t be a right or wrong way,’ Helena surmised on Facebook.
In a later interview with CNN, the hairstylist said the poster particularly concerned her because it only seemed to be singling-out the hairstyles of black students.
The Narvie Harris Elementary School came under fire after it created and displayed a poster dictating ‘appropriate’ and ‘inappropriate’ hairstyles for black students in the school's halls
‘It feels like it's discrimination. There are only black kids up there, and those are basic styles in the black community,’ Helena said. ‘It's something that needs to be talked about. The outrage, I think, is warranted.’
Many online agreed with Helena, calling the school’s policies racist and hurtful to the individuality of Narvie Harris’ young black students.
‘All of these hair styles are appropriate. I am partly in disbelief this was even posted up at the school, but sadly not totally,’ Samantha Washington wrote. ‘I would hope in this day and age we would have made more progress, yet crap like this pops up and we see we still have a long road still ahead.’
Brookw Agee added: ‘What is inappropriate about any of these hair styles? I wonder, do they have the same restrictions on white kids dying their hair different colors? Probably not......This is ridiculous.’
But the post did spark debate too, with several people pointing out that Narvie Harris is a ‘theme school’ – which is similar to a charter school – and retains the right to demand a certain dress code.
Others pointed out the school is populated by predominantly black students, counteracting the cries of racial discrimination on Helena's Facebook post.
‘This post is VERY misleading and irresponsible,’ wrote Anjanee Burns, whose son attends the school.
‘This is the opposite of an anti-black school. You should also disclose that this school is nearly 100% black which is the reason only black children are displayed,’ she continued.
‘This school's focus is education but they do have rules just as any other school AND this school is optional.’
Many online agreed with Helena, calling the school’s policies racist and hurtful to the individuality of Narvie Harris’ young black students
A representative from Narvie Harris Elementary School couldn’t be reached for comment regarding Burns’ claims when contacted by DailyMail.com on Friday.
The school took down the poster Thursday, the DeKalb County School District revealed to CNN in a statement.
‘The poster was the result of a miscommunication relating to appearance rules at the school,’ it said.
‘Once the district was made aware of the poster, it was immediately removed. In addition, a letter was sent to parents clarifying the school's dress code and appearance policy.’
A copy of the school district’s dress code obtained by DailyMail.com states that students are not allowed to wear clothing, piercings, jewelry or other items that ‘disrupt the educational process or endanger the health or safety of other students.’
Hairstyles, however, are not mentioned.
The school took down the poster Thursday, the DeKalb County School District revealed, calling it the result of a 'miscommunication'
The incident arose just two weeks after the California Senate passed a bill to add discrimination based on hair associated with race to the state’s anti-discrimination law.
The amendment, titled SB 188, updates the definitions of race in the guidelines to include ‘traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.’
According to lawmakers, professional workplace dress and grooming codes often derive from European standards and therefore penalties for noncompliance often affect African Americans more so than any other ethnicity.
‘Workplace dress code and grooming policies that prohibit natural hair, including afros, braids, twists, and locks, have a disparate impact on Black individuals as these policies are more likely to deter Black applicants and burden or punish Black employees than any other group,’ the bill states.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Holly J. Mitchell, said that until recently, searching Google Images for ‘unprofessional hairstyles’ would only produce black women.
‘I have heard far too many reports of black children humiliated and sent home from school because their natural hair was deemed unruly or a distraction to others,’ she said.
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