Post ISD Administration

Post, Texas

This petition is to compel Post ISD to abolish hair discrimination in Post schools. Let students express their individuality in this way by allowing them to wear their hair like they want to. Why require boys to cut their hair if they prefer to wear it long, or if their family tradition favors the males wearing long hair. If a boy’s hair is long and they want to pull it up into a ponytail or a bun, let them. Allow students who want to braid their hair, and decorate the braids with beads, to do so. The school is sending a very dangerous message that the child’s most personal choices about their unique styles are not acceptable. To whom?? And why?? It’s just hair. What is NOT ACCEPTABLE is the way a child’s self-esteem is being affected in such a profoundly negative way. School policy says “it’s distracting” to other students. No, it is not. Clothing can be distracting NOT hair. There has never been a student who could not learn history or math because of someone’s hair. If that’s the case maybe the teachers need to do a better job of teaching by keeping students interested and engaged in the subject matter, not another child’s hair.

The parents can be similarly negatively affected by thinking, “what is wrong with my child’s appearance” or “why is my child being singled out.” Also, the parents are the ones having to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate the school’s “policy” and pay for any changes to be made. It could cause financial burden on the family.

Here’s a challenge: Think back to when you were in school. Did another student’s hair prevent you from learning or graduating? No, it did not. What is so remarkable about children’s hair now that schools feel it necessary to write specific policy about hair in the dress code?