Bad hair day for school

Family protests Amesbury student being called to principal's office over hairstyle

Being called to the principal’s office usually means a student has done something wrong.

One Amesbury Middle School student did not think she had done anything wrong, but says she was spoken to by the principal a number of times. She claims the principal was punishing her and making comments about the way she styled her hair.

The student’s name is being withheld revealed due to the family’s privacy concerns.

On Nov. 6, the girl’s aunt, Kaysie Quansah, took to Facebook and addressed the issue publicly.

“I wake up this morning to my sister telling me that my wonderful, beautiful niece was told that she needs to change her hair at school,” the post said. “The principal of Amesbury Middle School told my niece that she needs to put her hair up, gave her a hair band/scrunchie/ponytail holder and repeatedly told her to do something about her hair.”

She said her niece questioned the principal as to why she was constantly being asked to change her hairstyle. In response the principal allegedly sent the student to the office and called her mother in.

“My sister was then called and told that my niece’s hair was *too poofy*, *unprofessional*, that no one would hire her with hair like that,” the Facebook post said. “My niece was told that if she returns to school with her hair like this, she would have to stay in the office until she does something about it.”

The Toronto District School Board has said it is unable to comment on the specifics of the situation at this time.

“For privacy reasons, we can’t speak to the details about this specific interaction, but we are aware that the principal spoke with a student about their hair last week,” board communications officer Ryan Bird said in an email. “The school and Superintendent are following up with the family to address any concerns they may have.”

About this article

By: Sidra Sheikh
Posted: Nov 15 2015 12:41 am
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Filed under: Education News News Briefs
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