A mother is outraged after school personnel told her 9-year-old daughter that her natural hair was inappropriate and did not fit the school’s dress code on Tuesday.
Marian Reed’s daughter is a student at Tarver Elementary School in Temple, Texas. After the incident this week, the woman is recommending that the Belton Independent School take strides to talk about diversity.
According to a report by KCEN TV, Reed said the assistant principal told the girl her hair was similar to a “faux-hawk.” However, the mother said that it wasn’t.
“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,” Marian Reed stated. “And, as a parent, that’s heartbreaking because that’s just what God naturally gave her.”
The school officials are also being scrutinized for the way they handled the situation. According to Reed, she did not receive a phone call initially.
“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 said. “And, at nine years old, she’s going to remember that for the rest of her life.”
Charla Trejo, the executive director of campus leadership told the news outlet 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.”
Since the incident, Reed has posted the details of her daughter’s painful experience on Facebook.
