No haircut, no school - Mom alleges son locked out of classes due to hairstyle

A furious mother is blasting Ardenne High School over what she calls an outrageous attack on her son's right to an education--simply because of his hair.

The mother told reporters she got a shocking call from the school before 9 a.m., informing her that her teenage son would not be allowed into class.

"'Come and get your son, take him to get a haircut, and only then can he return,'" was what the mother said a man who identified himself as the school's dean of discipline told her.

According to Jamaica's school grooming guidelines, students' hair must be neat, clean, and well-maintained at all times. Many schools also set limits on hair length and style for both boys and girls, and require that hair accessories be modest and appropriate for the classroom environment. The education ministry has insisted that no child should be locked out of school due to grooming issues. Last month, in a bulletin, the ministry reminded school leaders and stakeholders that every child has a right to education and must not be denied access to public schools, arising from students wearing extra clothing as the island experienced a cold front.

Despite this, the parent says she found herself going back and forth on the phone with the dean.

"I was informed my son was standing in front of the school. I said, 'Are you telling me that I am to leave work and come pick him up? I want you to state this very firmly and clearly.'"

According to the mother, the dean responded, "Yes."

She said she told him she would not be coming, to which he allegedly replied, "Well, failing that, he is going to stay out of class. He is not returning to class until his hair is cut."

She described her son as punctual and academically strong, noting that such an incident has occurred before. In grade nine, she said he was reportedly locked out of school and sent to the barber. At the time, she said she brushed it off. However, she believes this latest incident is different, insisting that her son's hair is simply not cut as low as the school prefers. In addition, the mother opined that children of other races are not held to the same standard.

"As I drive through school, dropping him off or picking him up in the mornings and in the afternoons, I am looking at the haircut of the white boys, and the Indian ones ... they are not two centimetres [high]." According to the parent, similar concerns have been raised at multiple Parent-Teacher Association meetings. THE STAR made several attempts to reach the school's authorities who declined to comment.

However, Stewart Jacobs, president of the National Parent Teacher Association of Jamaica, said that the grooming guidelines do not imply that a student can in any way they choose.

"It says that 'within the limit and the permit of the school's rules', because the school is going to have its ethos and the ethos is going to be coming from the religious background of the school," he said. "When that parent went to Ardenne High School, she signed a document or the child could not have been registered to the school. She signed a document and the document stated that you will follow and adhere to what is in the school rule book."

"If the child's hair is longer than it is expected to be, you can either cut the hair or take the child to another school where you think they can flaunt the rules," he added.

However, Jacobs insisted that the school should not bar the child from school without any form of supervision.

"Meaning, do not take the child and put them outside of the schoolyard. But you create a space for the child to stay there," he said, adding that the parent can take the child, fix the problem and then bring back the child back.

He also cautioned the mother against 'playing the race card', opining that the hair of children of other races grow differently.

"Their hair grows naturally down in the face. It's thinner, it's lighter, it goes down, while the African hair grows up and out," he said.