What does hair have to do with school discipline?
Have you ever felt criminalized or excluded from an academic or professional setting because of your hair? Before you answer these questions… let’s back up a bit.
Lets start from the beginning…
In May of 2014, SFUSD revised its hat policy allowing schools to establish their own policies around hats and head coverings. This was a soft way to dismantle a longstanding policy which disproportionately impacted students of color, and specifically Black students.
The “hat policy” is a great example of systemic racism which is about IMPACT not INTENT. While one would be hard-pressed to prove school administrators use school policies to intentionally target Black students. Nonetheless, the results have undeniably targeted Black, and to a lesser extent Muslim students, at higher rates.
As Matt Haney of the Board of Education stated at the time in an EdSource article he wrote:
“With the passage of the district’s new policy, students’ rights to wear a hat outdoors and for religious reasons will be protected, and school communities will have the opportunity to develop their own dress standards by taking into consideration the voices of students, parents and staff.Teachers will no longer have to chase students around the hallways enforcing a hat ban simply because it is district policy, and we will ensure that students aren’t suspended or sent home for dress code violations.Creating schools where students feel welcome and connected, where they can safely express their identity, is not a minor issue, particularly for our most vulnerable students.”
Some positive changes…
Before the policy was adopted, students could be suspended or expelled for “willful What does hair have to do with school discipline? - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom: