The ridiculous stories of school’s across not just the country but the globe, concerning young black girls and their natural hair continues.

The most recent story comes from Marian Reed, the mother of a 9-year-old girl that attends Tarver Elementary School in Belton, Texas. Reed’s third grade daughter was pulled out of class and sent home for not being in compliance with the school’s dress code, claiming that her hairstyle was not in compliance with the school’s dress code.

Like most young black girls with natural hair (or anyone with natural hair, to be honest), Marian explained that her daughter’s hair simply doesn’t just lie flat. It’s voluminous. So, for school, she usually styles her daughter’s hair in small ponytails commonly known as “afro puffs.”According to school officials, the hairstyle resembled a faux hawk — a fake mohawk. Both hairstyles are prohibited by the elementary school dress code.

“It wasn’t in a mohawk,” Reed told local news station KCEN-TV. “It’s not shaved on the side or anything. She was a little girl being nine years old.”

Reed was shared that she believed the school’s decision to reprimand her daughter was discriminatory. Apparently her daughter had worn this same hairstyle with longer, synthetic braids instead of her natural hair, and it was no issue. “I don’t believe that it was intended to be racial, but, I think, the district as a whole may need some cultural diversity training.”

For Reed, she took major issue with the school leaders making her daughter feel as if there was something wrong with her hair.

“They could have called me and discussed it with me without pulling her out of class and without having that conversation in front of her because now she’s questioning her natural image,” Reed explained. “She cried and said no one was going to want to be her friend because her hair was not as pretty as the assistant principal’s,” Reed said. “And, as a parent, that’s heartbreaking because that’s just what God naturally gave her.”

Before posting her daughter’s experience on Facebook, Reed reached out to Charla Trejo, the executive director of campus leadership. Trejo told KCEN-TV that the district was just enforcing the dress code and being consistent. “We had an assistant principal call a parent and make them aware of the dress code issues and then just try to resolve that by asking them to take care of that…”Do we need training? We are always willing to train and to learn and do things, however, this particular situation was about consistency. It was about making sure we have the same expectations for everyone.”

Personally, I am tired of hearing these stories, and the more and more I come across these, the more I become infuriated. While training is always great, why not have respect for the young girl and wait until her mother comes to pick her up from school, instead of bringing it up to her?

As always, we’re interested in your thoughts. Who do you think is in the wrong in this situation? Have you or someone you know gone through this situation? What can help situations as such in the future?