Mother says son with long hair denied admission to 2 schools

This appeared on the BBC news today....

A pupil who was repeatedly sent home from school because of her afro hair wants to make sure it doesn't happen to any other UK schoolchild.

Ruby Williams received £8,500 in an out-of-court settlement after her family took legal action against The Urswick School in east London.

She was told her hair breached policy, which stated that "afro style hair must be of reasonable size and length".

The school did not accept any liability.

Ruby told Radio 1 Newsbeat she wants UK schools to have "better guidelines on their uniform policy so that people can't be discriminated against when they're walking into school".

"I'd also like to hope that this story gives confidence to those who might be staying quiet about a similar situation," Ruby added.
 

Bonnie said:
Parents bucking the system and teaching their kids to fight against rules (and laws) are doing them such a disservice.
Life is supposed to be a learning experience, and parents should be helping them in the right direction as they grow up.
Click to expand...
Yes, we must make sure everyone fits in and conforms and doesn't rock the boat or bother anyone or questions authority. Yessir Nossir, Three Bags Full Sir.
 
Pepper said:
Yes, we must make sure everyone fits in and conforms and doesn't rock the boat or bother anyone or questions authority. Yessir Nossir, Three Bags Full Sir.
Click to expand...
So you'd prefer the world to be a chaotic free-for-all? All of us learned conformity and to follow rules at a young age, and most had no problem with it. What has this mother taught her son except that whining and lawsuits and "going viral" is a lifestyle?
 
Find another school if you do not like the rules. She needs to home school him if she wants special treatment. Welcome to the real world. I would not hire him as he would not pass the dress code any place I ever worked. He can have all the degrees in the world but he has not been taught common sense. His mother expects special treatment and he would not get it in my book. Who knows what is living in that mess of hair?
 
Capt Lightning said:
This appeared on the BBC news today....

A pupil who was repeatedly sent home from school because of her afro hair wants to make sure it doesn't happen to any other UK schoolchild.

Ruby Williams received £8,500 in an out-of-court settlement after her family took legal action against The Urswick School in east London.

She was told her hair breached policy, which stated that "afro style hair must be of reasonable size and length".

The school did not accept any liability.

Ruby told Radio 1 Newsbeat she wants UK schools to have "better guidelines on their uniform policy so that people can't be discriminated against when they're walking into school".

"I'd also like to hope that this story gives confidence to those who might be staying quiet about a similar situation," Ruby added.
Click to expand...

Here in the US, a private school (one that charges tuition and chooses students to admit) has a lot more leeway in what it can prohibit or permit in dress codes than a public school (one who has to admit everybody as a student) can.
 
Pepper said:
Yes, we must make sure everyone fits in and conforms and doesn't rock the boat or bother anyone or questions authority. Yessir Nossir, Three Bags Full Sir.
Click to expand...
Predictably, I agree with you...conditionally. I think it's really a question of degrees of non-conformity. Attending school naked, in blackface or with a swastika tattooed on your forehead would not be tolerated by anyone anywhere. Hair reminiscent of the wild man of Borneo, for some, crosses the line. I think a policy of "Do whatever you want but you can't do it here" is justified in this case.
 
C'est Moi said:
So you'd prefer the world to be a chaotic free-for-all? All of us learned conformity and to follow rules at a young age, and most had no problem with it. What has this mother taught her son except that whining and lawsuits and "going viral" is a lifestyle?
Click to expand...
You get so hysterical so fast. You jump to the farthest conclusions in an instant. In the long run, a few weirdos make life interesting. Certainly gives you something to scream about. Most people naturally need to fit in. Scared not to. Relax, lemming, you're safe.
 
Pepper said:
You get so hysterical so fast. You jump to the farthest conclusions in an instant. In the long run, a few weirdos make life interesting. Certainly gives you something to scream about. Most people naturally need to fit in. Scared not to. Relax, lemming, you're safe.
Click to expand...
Oh, please. Hysterical? And I believe it was YOU making the sweeping generalizations, as usual.
 
I'm sure that somewhere I posted the tale of when 70+ of us senior pupils got thrown out of school on the first day of term to get our hair cut. It made the local and provincial newspapers and even the evening news on TV. The headmaster wasn't available for comment, but it was the start of a relaxation of rules for senior pupils.

It was IMO, hypocritical of the school to say on one hand that they were preparing us for adulthood and the workplace (or university) and then imposing strict rules as if we were infant school kids. There are sensible rules regarding things like safety and the smooth running of the school, but there must also be leeway to allow people to develop their own personality and style.
 
Pepper said:
Yes, we must make sure everyone fits in and conforms and doesn't rock the boat or bother anyone or questions authority. Yessir Nossir, Three Bags Full Sir.
Click to expand...
Schools teach all kinds of lessons. Only some are contained in books or lectures. Discipline, tenacity, teamwork, punctuality, good grooming, appropriate conduct in a group setting, choosing one's battles and sometimes deferring to others, for instance.

By the way, nobody is saying that this family can't rock the boat or question authority. They rocked it and questioned the rules. The school calmed the waters and gave them their answer: No.
 
StarSong said:
Schools teach all kinds of lessons. Only some are contained in books or lectures. Discipline, tenacity, teamwork, punctuality, good grooming, appropriate conduct in a group setting, choosing one's battles and sometimes deferring to others, for instance.
Click to expand...
I have often thought that schools need to require a course entitled, "Introduction to the Big Picture." Naturally, it would require someone with my worldly acumen to write the syllabus.
 
Anyone remember the song "Home of the brave" by Jody Miller ?

The school board says "he can't come to school, no more"
unless he wears his hair like he wore it before.
The PTA and all the mothers, say he ought to look like the others.
Home of the brave, land of the free
why won't you let him be what he wants to be

The kids all laugh at his hair and funny clothes.
And more than once he's gone home with a bloody nose
he's not like them and they can't ignore it. So they all hate him for it.
Home of the brave, land of the free
why won't you let him be what he wants to be

It really burns me up, when they put him down
He's the only one whose saying something in this whole town
Instead of those the trouble they hand him, why don't they try to understand
him.
Home of the brave, land of the free
why won't you let him be what he wants to be
he never hurt nobody,
why won't you let him be what he wants to be
he just a little bit different.
why won't you let him be what he wants to be
You got to understand him.
why won't you let him be what he wants to be
 
Jesus was addressed as Rabbi and was an observant Jew all of his life. At the very least he would have had a prayer shawl (tallit) and worn a phylactery containing a text from the Torah strapped to his forehead. I'm guessing he wouldn't have shaved every day so would have had a beard and longish hair. Living in the hot sun as an itinerant he would have had nut brown skin.
 
Mother says son with long hair denied admission to 2 schools
is the name of the thread, not what did Jesus look like. Thank you.
 
Some people simply want-to-demand attention. Just look at Billy Porter.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top