this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2024

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305

Schools say dress codes promote discipline, but many Black students see traces of racism (www.pbs.org)

submitted 1 year ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

65 comments fedilink hide all child comments

For as long as schools have policed hairstyles as part of their dress codes, some students have seen the rules as attempts to deny their cultural and religious identities.

Nowhere have school rules on hair been a bigger flashpoint than in Texas, where a trial this week is set to determine whether high school administrators can continue punishing a Black teenager for refusing to cut his hair. The 18-year-old student, Darryl George, who wears his hair in locs tied atop his head, has been kept out of his classroom since the start of the school year.

To school administrators, strict dress codes can be tools for promoting uniformity and discipline. But advocates say the codes disproportionately affect students of color and the punishments disrupt learning. Under pressure, many schools in Texas have removed boys-only hair length rules, while hundreds of districts maintain hair restrictions written into their dress codes.

Schools that enforce strict dress codes have higher rates of punishment that take students away from learning, such as suspensions and expulsions, according to an October 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office. The report called on the U.S. Department of Education to provide resources to help schools design more equitable dress codes.

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[–] AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world 85 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I don't believe in dress codes being of benefit, but this is strictly Texas being a dick.

I was in the Army (for school, the cause sucked), and African American soldiers were often CORRECTLY given a shaving profile, aka a waiver due to ingrown hair shaving issues especially in field conditions, and it wasn't a deal. At all. In the fucking military, the (understandably) pedant, rule follower, uniformity kings.

The Texas government just doesn't want to make reasonable accommodations because they're racist pieces of shit who believe they can legislate those outside their rigid, white nationalist, stepford aspiring in-group out of existence.

[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I've never had a school uniform but someone told me that it could help hide "class" differences if someone were not able to dress their child as well. I'm not sure how well I buy that but it sounded like a possible benefit.

[–] shuzuko@midwest.social 9 points 1 year ago

It doesn't work. You can still always tell the kids who have new uniforms vs those who had to buy second hand, or those who have designer backpacks or shoes from those who have Walmart versions. The rich kids who were raised to be assholes will still find something to look down on the poor kids about. Best friend was stuck in private school for years and hated it because of this.

[–] gramathy@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

Uniforms for me weren’t explicit but more “polo shirt and pants” so it was less a uniform and more a very strict dress code - this was also only in middle school so that kinda tracks with when kids can be some of the most vicious about it

[–] variants@possumpat.io 3 points 1 year ago

I could see how ot could hide class but then now you have to buy more clothes

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

People from the outside see stuff like the drill teams and forget that we've been known to fight in body armor, helmet, and our underwear. They think uniformity has some magical property and miss all the real reasons behind it.

[–] cactusupyourbutt@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (5 children)

sorry can you expand a bit on the ingrown hair part? It doesnt make sense to me why one race would have issue with that while the rest doesnt

[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

sorry can you expand a bit on the ingrown hair part? It doesnt make sense to me why one race would have issue with that while the rest doesnt

Good question! Would that we were all comfortable expressing our ignorance and asking for edification.

As I understand it, black people (and others with similar hair type) have a tightly curved hair follicle. The hair grows out of the follicle springy because it kinks before growing out. Like an extreme version of people with curly hair (who also have a curved hair follicle). This means that if the hair is shaved completely it is more likely to become ingrown.

[–] AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

"Pseudofolliculitis barbae (razor bumps) is a common condition of the beard area occurring in up to 60% African American men and other people with curly hair. The problem results when highly curved hairs grow back into the skin causing inflammation and a foreign body reaction. Over time, this can cause keloidal scarring which looks like hard bumps of the beard area and neck. Shaving sharpens the ends of the hairs like a spear. The hairs then curve back into the skin causing pseudofolliculitis barbae.

A 100% effective treatment is to let the beard grow. Once the hairs get to be a certain length they will not grow back into the skin. For most cases, totally avoid shaving for 3 to 4 weeks until all lesions have subsided, while applying a mild prescription cortisone cream to the involved skin each morning. Shaving every other day, rather than daily, will improve pseudo-folliculitis barbae. If one must use a blade, water soften the beard first with a hot, wet washcloth for 5 minutes. Then use lubricating shaving gel (Edge, Aveeno), and the Aveeno PFB Bump Fighter Razor or the Flicker razor. Shave with the grain of the beard and do not stretch the skin. Use only one stroke over each area of the beard."

https://www.aocd.org/page/pseudofolliculitisb#:~:text=Pseudofolliculitis%20barbae%20(razor%20bumps)%20is,and%20a%20foreign%20body%20reaction.

[–] Bye@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

It’s not just black people, it’s just more common with them.

I have curly facial hair and I have to leave a few mm instead of shaving, or else I get ingrown hairs.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

To expand on the other response, the Army doesn't deny shaving waivers to white guys either. I had one every time I went overseas because my face is right on the line. With a weekend to rest it, hot water and all the products, it goes okay. But without all that I get rashes. So allowances were made.

[–] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 55 points 1 year ago (1 children)

funny its only the deep south where black kids are given this kind of treatment.

might be racist? these kids are being punished for not looking white enough, and the schools admins get to snicker in their racism.

[–] greybeard@lemmy.one 8 points 1 year ago

Racist? No, some of their best servants are black.

[–] BreakDecks@lemmy.ml 28 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Why would hair, a part of a person's body, be a part of a dress code? White people are fucking insane...

[–] orrk@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

how else would discriminate against "people" (hint: they don't see dark skinned people as people)

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago

Ooh, ooh, how about complaining about their accent and choice of slang! No way that's going to be racist wink wink nudge nudge

[–] ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Fools like this want everyone to be invisible, anonymous, and unimportant, being non-white is already a splinter in their eye unless you prove you’re extraordinary

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[–] GnomeKat@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 1 year ago (4 children)

The article and comments seem to be primarily focused on the racist aspects of dress codes. I just wanted to chime in and point out they are also very transphobic and queerphobic and are very often used as a way of punishing queer people. So multiple axes of oppression involved with dress codes.

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[–] radicalautonomy@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I've been teaching for almost 20 years. Dress codes do not promote discipline whatsoever. Administrators mete out disciplinary measures when students don't follow the dress code, to be sure, but the only thing the dress code serves to do is promote conformity.

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[–] HornedMeatBeast@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I come from a country with school uniforms and I hated it.

Felt more like a way to control us and/or it was all about the schoool's image.

Our hair had to follow certain rules, short, no colour, no gel.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

School uniforms are a related, but different, issue. School dress codes in the U.S. do allow freedom to wear some of what you want, but many of the restrictions are arbitrary "no hats" or antiquated "skirts must be below the knee." And many of the dress codes are intentionally designed to favor things like white people's hair without caring about the legitimate physical issues black people might have with those hair codes. Many are also designed to shame girls.

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[–] AquaTofana@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Even the military has recognized that certain hairstyles are worse on different ethnicities hair, and has subsequently relaxed the standards since I've been active.

The military, which is all about uniformity and "discipline", can see that different cultures have different hair treatments/needs, and not everything has to be "all Caucasian, all the time".

And yet our K-12 schools can't seem to do that?! Like wtf?

[–] chatokun@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Oh they know. Discipline doesn't mean punishment for wrong deeds, it means forceful changes in any behavior, concepts, or ideas that the one executing the discipline dislikes. Disrespecting your "betters" is always a part of this too. I got pulled over once because I passed a police office. He was going under the speed limit so u went the speed limit and passed him. His reason was not showing due respect.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Even better, the principle in Texas pointed to the military as a shining example of uniformity. Not realizing the real reasons behind that. (Easy field hygiene)

Yet again a military larper ruins it for everyone around them.

[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Bruv, how you gonna punish a black kid for his hair? That’s fucked.

[–] fastandcurious@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Dress codes are a great excuse for racism against anyone you hate, if they really want it it should be more like ‘wear simple and not overly colorful clothes’ or something like that, rather than ‘that hairstyle is not allowed, noo how dare you cover your head!’, this can be done in numerous ways

[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

I'm native on my mother's side and I'd get the same thing about Mohawk style haircuts and how they're "inappropriate and against code". Back in those days you couldn't do much but deal with their racist rules

[–] _number8_@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

discipline is a bullshit virtue to promote. innate subjection to authority is not something to foster in children

[–] Sorgan71@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think some codes are reasonable, mainly those that promote hygiene, which kids are notoriously bad at.

[–] ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There is no helping children’s hygiene except through education, rules won’t do shit

[–] ABoxOfPhotons@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Rules are an enforcement method instilling education of the consequences of not following the rules.

[–] nutsack@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

can you give me some examples of that? I've never seen a policy that your clothes had to be clean but maybe that's because I never went to look for that sort of thing

[–] kuneho@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

It's not school rule. It's parenting rule to provide your kid with clean clothes as much as you can, or at least, it should be.

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[–] tsonfeir@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wish my k-12 experience had a dress code. Nothing crazy. No hair requirement nonsense. Just everyone, every gender, wears the same polo/tshirt, and the same pants. Makeup is fine, whatever. 1) cost effective. 2) no thinking in the morning. I don’t think discipline has anything to do with it, and that shouldn’t be the focus.

[–] WanderingVentra@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Me, too. I remember getting bullied for my clothes and lack of style in elementary school. It would've been nice to take that out of the equation. Definitely wouldn't have wanted hair to be part of the rules, though.

[–] random9@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I went to highschool for 1 year in the UK, where a uniform was mandatory for every student.

I can assure you, it does not promote discipline in any way. Kids fight, do stupid things, and skip classes regardless of how they're dressed.

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