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Texas Mother Speaks Out After Her First Grade Son Is Asked To Cut His Dreads: “What I didn’t sign up for was RACISM! I signed up for a great education, for my children. I won’t conform to racist policies.”

A Texas mother will not capitulate to implement a policy at her son’s school, which sent a letter home ahead of Christmas break demanding the first grader cut his dreads. The policy outraged the student’s mother, Tiffany Brown, who talked about the hair policy in several tweets.

Brown, an author, and mother of three wrote, “What I didn’t sign up for is RACISM! I will not cut his hair. He doesn’t want it cut, so why should I cut it? How does his hair affect his ability to learn?”

Retweet, so this won't happen again! This is the note the school sent home in my son's backpack. I will not cut his hair. He does not want it cut, so why should I cut it? How does his hair affect his ability to learn? #notmyhair pic.twitter.com/kv5e9EOSaY — RogerBrownBooks (@books_roger) January 5, 2019

Brown said before school was out for winter break, her son Jonathan came home with a flyer from his Elementary School in a Waco suburb of Hewitt, TX. The flyer outlined the district’s hair and dress code policies. A section of the Spring Valley Elementary School flyer noted “hair mustn’t be lower than the bottom of the ears or collar…” and the hair “volume” cannot exceed two inches away from the head.

Attached to the flyer was a handwritten note that instructed that Jonathan to “please” cut his hair before school resumed on Jan. 8.

Brown told KWTX, she does not understand how she can reduce the “volume” of her son’s hair. She called the new policy outdated.

The mother went on to say, “I think that his hair has nothing to do with his ability to learn,” Brown stated. “The way we express ourselves makes us unique and every child is unique. Hair shouldn’t be in the dress code as far as I’m concerned.”

Brown told Yahoo News, she refused to cut her son’s hair.

“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,” she told the news outlet. “Dreadlocks are a part of my African culture, not a fashion statement.”

“Dreadlocks have been a symbol of beauty and strength for many years,” Brown added. “Only recently, people of color/African descent have come to accept and love their natural hair. To hear someone say it is not enough or that my hair should blend with others, that’s not right.”

Midway Independent School District dismissed Brown’s claims of racism and insisted its policy on hair is not discriminatory.

“Since the code applies to all students, it is not discriminatory in intent or by legal standards. students are expected to adhere to the current dress code, which was acknowledged by every student’s guardian at registration. However, any parent may submit documentation to the campus administration requesting a possible exemption to the dress and grooming standards for a sincerely held religious belief.”

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