The mother of a student doesn’t approve of the “outdated” grooming policy.
What We Know:
- Ida Nelson decided to braid her son Jett Hawkins’s hair in hopes that he would be proud of it and go on to show his friends the new hairstyle at school. Unfortunately, officials at his school were not on board with it and gave his mother a call to tell her his hairstyle was not allowed and violated school policy.
- According to reports, the young boy attended Providence St. Mel, a predominately black private school on Chicago’s west side. The school has had a strict grooming and clothing policy for many years that restricts student’s certain styles and attires. These restrictions include no braids or locs hairstyles, earrings(on males), high gadget watches, and metal-studded braces.
- Nelson believes that this is just adding to this list of obstacles the students have to face and deprives them of being their true authentic selves. “Why is it acceptable to tell children in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood who already have so many other obstacles to overcome how they can and cannot express themselves?” said Nelson.
- The school has a certain way of doing things, and their accolades prove it. Providence St. Mels has a notorious acceptance rate of 100% when it comes to sending its graduates to colleges or 4-year universities. Nelson said in a report that the school principal doesn’t think that braids or locs look good on boys at the institution and isn’t apart of black culture, nor does he believe that black people face hair discrimination. Nelson goes on to say that the principal told her she had the option to unenroll her child from the school and will be given a full refund.
Nelson says even if she does take Jett out of the Providence St. Mel, she will still try to work with parents and alumni of the school to update their handbook and policies properly.
