Black kindergartner's haircut distracting, Catholic school says

[Newsjock]

Source: San Jose Mercury News

BELMONT -- Five-year-old Jalyn Broussard was so excited to show his kindergarten classmates his new haircut, a style that would surely set him apart from his second-grade brother's shaved head.

But his "modern fade," a popular hairstyle among African-American men, apparently set off an alarm with administrators at the boy's Catholic school, who called Jalyn's mom half an hour into the school day to pick him up and take him home. Mariana Broussard said the school's principal told her Jalyn's haircut was too distracting and a violation of Immaculate Heart of Mary School's hairstyle policy, according to a complaint the family filed last week with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

Broussard said Principal Teri Grosey told her the haircut -- which the family noticed on white and Asian students -- would "unduly influence the student body."

... After weeks of unproductive talks with Immaculate Heart, the family last week filed the complaint, alleging that the school discriminated against Jalyn, who is African-American, based on his race.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_28403751/belmont-catholic-school-deems-kindergartners-haircut-distracting

[TeeYiYi]

1. Unbelievable...

There doesn't seem to be a low that these racist asshats are not willing to sink to.

TYY

[vanlassie]

2. Huh? What's wrong with it??

[drm604]

4. That was my reaction to the picture.

What's so radical about this kid's hair?

[Person 2713]

19. On a black head

Cute kid

[get the red out]

28. My reaction too

How did they even get there? Such a cute little boy. Those people are idiots.

[prayin4rain]

3. How awful. That's a regular little boy haircut. Assholes. n/t

[Solly Mack]

5. Idiots. "unduly influence the student body"

Yes, the young man's hair style is going to cause the kids to rise up and overthrow the school until they get chocolate chip communion wafers and milk.

Or maybe oatmeal and raisins. Or peanut butter. Or chocolate mint wafers. Or s'more wafers.

[jmowreader]

29. Chocolate chip communion wafers sound pretty damn good, actually

Srsly tho, what's wrong with that haircut?

[Solly Mack]

57. Looks nice. I like the style.

It has to be about stereotypes and that makes it about his race.

I did make myself hungry while typing.

[Matariki]

45. LOL!

exactly

[Solly Mack]

58. A happy kid with a new do and they have to make it ugly.

Sad.

I would like to try peanut butter wafers though.

[shenmue]

6. I went to Catholic school one year

Worst year of my life.

They were pretty strict about the dress code.

[BlueJazz]

11. Went to Catholic school for 2 years. Like being in a weird jail for 6 hours a day.

[Person 2713]

20. But this

Broussard said Principal Teri Grosey told her the haircut -- which the family noticed on white and Asian students -- would "unduly influence the student body."

Different codes for different folks?

[shenmue]

21. No

They're assholes to everyone.

[MosheFeingold]

47. I went to Catholic school

After everything else failed. Was a bad kid. Went to Catholic school got good grades.

The Bishop asked me why, I, a nice Jewish boy, was suddenly doing so well in Catholic school.

I pointed to the crucifix and whispered "I see what you guys did to the last Jewish boy who got out of line!"


(yes, just joking. It's an old Milton Berle joke.)

[bravenak]

52. I should not be laughing so hard.

[LeftyMom]

7. At that age my kid had a mohawk we dyed different colors regularly.

Kids have decades of bland workplace conformity ahead of them, inflicting it on them as children is a waste of a relatively free time of their lives.

And that kid's hair is way off on the bland end of the spectrum anyhow.

[XemaSab]

35. .

.html

[treestar]

8. WTF?

I don't get it. That does not distract me.

[onecaliberal]

9. What.The.Fuck.

[pnwmom]

10. The school should settle. Immediately. I can't believe it's gotten this far because

their lawyer is certainly telling them they won't win. Just wait till a jury of San Francisco people hears this!

[Starry Messenger]

12. This was our church. :(

My mother was in tears tonight, she used to volunteer there. We both hope mom wins big. Look at his sweet little face.

[irisblue]

13. I don't think it's the haircut at all

someone in the office got a stick in their office chair and wanted mommy to back down.

[KittyWampus]

14. He looks like such a good kid. Sweet smile. Clean cut.

[NBachers]

15. Sue 'em for a billion dollars

[MrScorpio]

16. All too often for white America...

Having black hair is a revolutionary act.

[irisblue]

51. ^^^Ding Ding Ding^^^ nt

[PatrickforO]

17. I don't get it. This little guy's hair is fine.

He looks great.

[bvf]

18. Looks like a sweet kid.

What the fuck is wrong with people??

[msongs]

22. does the haircut violate catholic church sincerely held religious beliefs? hmm nt

[Tardigrade]

23. That cut would pass in the Marine Corps

And its too radical for grade school?
I think some school administrators need to be pasteurized put out to pasture!

[AwakeAtLast]

46. Exactly!

My first thought was, "That looks close to a High and Tight!"

[vankuria]

49. Most definately!

I thought the same thing as soon as I saw it. It's the same cut my husband has had for the last 30 years, every since he was in the military.

The cut looks very conservative and this handsome young man looks very well groomed. I would think this is just a matter of someone being racist and wanting to harass him and his mom. The school officials should hang their heads in shame.

[Rhiannon12866]

24. What a cute little boy... That's all I see.

[BeanMusical]

25. Oh FFS.

Nothing wrong at all with the haircut but there's something seriously wrong with these asshats

[oldandhappy]

26. adorable kid

Hope he manages to stay sweet and cheerful and proud of himself! School is definitely 19th century.

[Kalidurga]

27. Sue the school and find a better one.

[NaturalHigh]

30. I doubt that their suit will go very far.

Immaculate Heart is a private, religious school. They have the right to enforce their codes as they see fit.

[gollygee]

32. They are exempt from Title 7

so I don't know how the suit will go. On the other hand, they can have their tax exempt status revoked if this is found to be racially based.

[gollygee]

31. I expected to see some weird hair

But I see regular hair. I don't get it.

[EL34x4]

33. Looks like a regulation military fade to me

I'm in the Navy and see haircuts like that every day. Do they not have a single veteran employed at this school who could attest to this?

If a hair style is good enough for the military, it better damn be good enough for Catholic school.

[Orsino]

34. Imagine the quality of education offered by this school...

...where the administrators have so little to do.

[Jamastiene]

36. I don't understand what their problem is with his hair.

It looks like a military type haircut to me. It is very neat, short, just a normal haircut.

is their problem? I think I know the answer. HHWB? (Having Haircut While Black?)

If white kids and Asian kids were allowed to have the same haircut, it has to be racist application of the rules. I hope they are able to sue this "school" out of existence.

[bullwinkle428]

37. What the fuck, Chuck??!? I see little white kids in that age range all the time

running around with goofy "mohawks", and no one ever even bats an eye!

[malaise]

38. One more example of racism

[B2G]

39. That's insane, he looks adorable. nt

[City Lights]

40. That's ridiculous. There is nothing distracting about his hair.

Adorable kid!

[Fumesucker]

41. The same thing happened to a white kid in Tennessee in March this year, same haircut even

I know about this because it was posted and discussed here in GD.

Both kids look just fine to me.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/27/school-threatens-suspension-boy-military-haircut/70531810/

A young boy's high and tight haircut meant to honor his soldier-stepbrother earned him the threat of suspension from an elementary school named for a Medal of Honor recipient, and the fallout from the incident has led a Tennessee school district to increase security measures.

Adam Stinnett went to Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary School in McMinnville, about a 90-minute drive southeast from Nashville, on March 9 sporting the new hairdo. His mother, Amy Stinnett, said he'd requested the high and tight to be more like Spc. Justin Bloodworth, his active-duty stepbrother.

Adam was written up by the principal, who thought the haircut was against school policy banning "mohawk haircuts or other extreme cuts."

Amy Stinnett disagreed. Adam went back Tuesday with the same haircut.

[MoonRiver]

42. WTF he looks just fine! What is wrong with his hair???

Racist idiots

[Bettie]

43. Looks like a typical short haircut to me

Seems like someone is looking for a reason to be angry at a 5 year old.

[Baitball Blogger]

44. Unduly influence the student body?

What does that mean? The kid looks cool and that will tip the voting in his favor for president of the student body?

I don't get it.

[FourScore]

48. What a precious boy! And I love his haircut.

Go MOM!!!

[MineralMan]

50. Racist Morons Abound

Nice looking kid!

[bravenak]

53. So no millitary cuts?

[stevenleser]

55. And they blame Obama because racial tension has increased. It's not Obama, its Social Media

we're learning of all the crazy racist stuff that goes on and that pisses people off.

Thats the reason for the tension.

[bravenak]

56. They blame Obama for everything.

Obama upsets racists, so of course it's his fault. They can't get to him, so they just take out their little aggressions on random black people.

[Solly Mack]

59. Thank you! It's a standard cut on post.

[bravenak]

60. I live right next door to Ft Rich and Elmendorf AFB.

I see that exact same cut everytime I leave my house. I also live by a barber shop.

[Solly Mack]

61. Exactly. It's standard military.

[LWolf]

54. WTF