'I am not conforming to their racist and gendered policies': Furious mother lashes out at her six-year-old son's elementary school for demanding he cut off his DREADLOCKS after returning from the holidays
- Jonathan's mother Tiffany Brown said her son loved his dreads before this week
- Before the holidays, the students were sent home with a note outlining a dress code policy that included hair lengths for boys
- But her son wanted to keep his dreadlocks so they would continue to grow
- Teachers said he would have to cut his hair, prompting fury from his mother
- She was also upset that she wasn't present when staff made their demands
- The resigned little boy said he will cut his hair because it 'makes people upset'
A mother has accused her six-year-old son's school of being 'racist and gendered' after they demanded he chop off his dreadlocks.
Tiffany Brown slammed Spring Valley Elementary School in Hewitt, Texas, after they ordered Jonathan to cut his hair when he returned to school after the holidays on January 8, because it didn't fit in with their policies.
A flier was sent home with the students just before the break outlining what the students should be wearing and how long their hair should be.
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Jonathan Brown, six, was given a directive by his Texas public school to cut his dreads significantly shorter. His mother is called the school's policy racist
The students were sent him with this dress code 'reminder' just before the break. The mother says she never received any such notice about his hair till before the break
According to the letter, 'hair must not be lower than the bottom of the ears or collar in the back.' A handwritten note instructs the boy to 'please cut by Jan. 8th,' reported Yahoo News.
'I signed up for a great education, for my children,' Brown tweeted. 'I won't conform to racist policies.'
The mother says she is opposed to cutting little Jonathan's hair, citing the significance of dreadlocks within her community and noting that students of color are often targeted by hair regulations.
'Children of color have been targeted for many years, because of what others see as the norms in our society,' she told Yahoo News.
'Because of these norms that are blinding people in our society, some people have stated that dreadlocks are a fashion statement and my child should conform and express himself when he's older. Dreadlocks are part of my African culture, not a fashion statement.
'Dreadlocks have been a symbol of beauty and strength for many years,' Brown continued.
'During slavery, everything was stripped from my people. Now, this is happening. So, basically it's a form of control and bondage. Biblically speaking, when Samson was stripped from his hair he was weakened. Our hair is our glory! Only recently, people of color/African descent have come to accept and love their natural hair. To hear someone say it's not enough or that my hair should blend with others, that's not right.
'My son's hair is a part of him. Hair grows from the scalp; this is a part of his body. How can parents teach kids to love themselves and then a school is telling them differently? The school is saying you're not enough! My son is not enough for them. Now, they're asking him to alter his body, because they don't like it.'
Brown added that Jonathan returned to school on Jan. 8 with his hair intact and was called to the school office.
'He was told that they wanted to speak with him about his Christmas break,' she said. 'However, they proceeded to speak with him about his hair!'
A distraught mom and author, Tiffany Brown (left) slammed the school, and her son appeared upset and confused telling her about the conversation he had had with the assistant principal earlier in the day
In a heart-wrenching video, her adorable son says he wants to cut his hair because 'everything I do makes people upset,’ while his mother is talking to him about the private meeting the assistant principal had with him over his hair and how he and his mother were on the news about the controversy.
Brown said she 'nearly slammed on the car brakes' when the boy told her that the meeting, which allegedly referenced her appearance on local TV to discuss the hair policy, had discouraged him about keeping his dreadlocks.
'My son Jonathan went from loving his hair yesterday to opting to cut his hair today, after this meeting,' she said. 'Yesterday, he loved his hair and didn't want it cut; today he's frustrated and doesn't, after speaking with a school official.'
She says 'meeting with an adult speaking about his hair being an issue without my presence will not be tolerated.'
'My plans are to go as far as needed to ensure the rights and liberties of every child are respected and protected,' she added. 'Not only for children of color, but for every child.'
The school released a statement to Yahoo: 'Midway ISD has implemented dress and grooming standards for decades. The policy is established to teach grooming and hygiene, prevent disruption and minimize safety hazards. Even when the policy has incrementally evolved through revisions over time, the length of male students' hair has been a subject of periodic debate over several decades. In other words, male students wanting to have long hair is not new.
