To be fair, it's not shaved or razored. But neither is it a racist decision IMO. I sometimes wish I were black and had the universal Get Out of Jail Free card at my disposal.
I don't believe the pupil is being sanctioned on the basis of her ethnicity, which would lay the school open to a valid accusation of racism.
The parent appears to be using an accusation of racism to deflect fro the actual responsibility, which is hers, for sending her child to school with a hairstyle that contravenes the school's advised rules governing such matters.
The less said about a 'get out of jail free card', the better.
It appears the rule was not clear since the school stated, '"The decision has been made that if shaved patterns are not permitted for students, then a braided pattern cannot be permitted on that basis."'
But that isn't a 'basis'. You either make rules and apply them or you don't. To start adding things on some ad-hoc 'basis' is altering those rules. I despair at how schools are run these days.
14:46, yes but they later say:
"The decision has been made that if shaved patterns are not permitted for students, then a braided pattern cannot be permitted on that basis."
The rules also say the final decision is at the discretion of senior staff - and yes, as unpalatable as the truth may be, some people do use race as a get out of jail free card.
I think the rules were probably intended to ban these patterns but were poorly written as to leave a loop hole. That has now been closed and no doubt the wording has been changed.
//Tora, the wording is "shaved/razored hair styles or lines/patterns shaved into the hair" They aren't shaved.//
It wouldn’t matter even if they were. The girl will argue that her style is predominantly sported by people of her ethnicity. So to ban it effects people of that ethnicity disproportionately and so is discriminatory. A ridiculous argument but one that would almost certainly succeed. I’m afraid it started with the Sikhs and crash helmets, and went downhill from there.