Jalyn Broussard went toΒ kindergarten one day, proudly sporting a new hairstyle. But his modern fade quickly raised eyebrows among administrators at his Belmont, Calif., Catholic school. Officials called the 5-year-oldβs mother to pick him up because his haircut violated the schoolβs standards. She was outraged.
The school and Jalynβs family reached a stalemate. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the family filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Educationβs Office for Civil Rights last week, accusing Immaculate Heart of Mary School of discriminating against their African-American child.
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Mariana Broussard, Jalynβs mother, said in the complaint that the principal, Teri Grosey, told her that Jalynβs haircut was distracting and violates the schoolβs hairstyle policy, according to the Mercury News.
Broussard said Jalyn felt embarrassed and unfairly singled out. βHe knew exactly what it was aboutβbecause of how his hair as an African-American looked,β she added, according to the newspaper.
In her discussions with school officials, Broussard said she showed the principal a photo of talk show host and former NFL star Michael Strahan, who has the same haircut. She also noted the difference between a βmodern fadeβ and the βfaux hawkβ cut that the school bans. Furthermore, Broussard said, she pointed out students of other ethnicities at the school wearing the same hairstyle as Jalynβs.
Grosey did not respond to phone calls from the Mercury News. And the Archdiocese of San Francisco declined to comment because it had not read the complaint. However, a spokesman told the newspaper, βSchool policy on hairstyles is very explicit and clear. Parents acknowledge and accept that policy.β
Broussard seeks about $16,000 for tuition reimbursement for Jalyn and his brother, who was a second-grader at the school. She also wants the staff and administrators to have cultural and sensitivity training. Her sons now attend public school, where she says thereβs more cultural awareness, the Mercury News reports.
Read more at theΒ San Jose Mercury News.Β
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