A Kentucky high school that banned dreadlocks, braids, twists, cornrows, afros and cut-in designs temporarily suspended its hair policy after backlash for its inherent racism.
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"I don't understand why we're going to focus on something like natural hair styles when we should be focused on education,” said Kentucky’s Black state representative elect Attica Scott to the Courier-Journal. “They specifically outlined hairstyles that are worn most by Black kids. To me, this stinks of institutional racism," she added."
The “personal grooming” code at Butler Traditional High School not only banned Black hairstyles, but it called them "extreme" and "distracting.” The ACLU of Kentucky wrote that the policy tells students that “their very being is a distraction in the classroom.”
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Following outrage from parents and students, the school planned a meeting to discuss the dress code. The school defended itself by saying the policy only applied to males, and the superintendent said: "Everything we do in this strategic plan is about seeking diversity and embracing diversity.”
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Though parents and students were not allowed to directly speak to the council, reported local WLKY, the policy was temporarily suspended.
The high school is known as a “white” high school, according to the New York Daily News, in a town that has a roughly 13 percent Black population.
"The people who made these decisions are all white and their children will not be affected by these enforcements,” parent Landie Rucker told the New York Daily News.