The girls names are Mya and Deanna Cook. Love this Globe photo of them. pic.twitter.com/BS18DYUEl7
— Astead W. Herndon (@AsteadWH) May 13, 2017
Earlier this month we reported about the suspension of two Black girls from a Massachusetts charter school.
The twin sisters, Deanna and Mya Cook, were suspended not for any behavioral infraction but for violating dress code. It wasn’t their attire but the fact that they both wore braids. As a result of the braids, one of the sisters, Mya, had spent 15 hours in detention and the two had been banned from everything including prom, the track team and other school clubs.
After media appearances by the sisters themselves and outcry from the public, the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School voted to suspend the portion of the dress code which prohibited hair extensions for the rest of the school year.
The measure was voted out during a private meeting on Sunday after the school received a letter from state Attorney General Maura Healy, who called the rule discriminatory and warned the school to immediately stop enforcing the hair and makeup policy.
According to CBS, the letter also noted the illegal nature of the school’s policy, saying it “includes a number of prohibitions that are either unreasonably subjective or appear to effectively single out students of color.”
Furthermore, Healy’s office stated, “There appears to be substantial evidence that the Hair/Makeup policy is—at best—inconsistently applied.”
The letter also demanded that the twins be able to participate in all school events.
Mystic Valley’s interim director, Alexander Dan read a statement detailing the school’s decision.
“The school will continue to work with the attorney general’s office to ensure that the uniform policy reflects our longstanding commitment to the rights of all of our students. Students who are either currently serving consequences, or accruing them, may immediately resume all before- and after-school activities.”
Some protested outside of the school during the meeting and were pleased with the decision to suspend the policy but argued that it should have been suspended permanently rather than just the duration of the school year.
Mystic Valley had been the target of much discussion and outrage over their policy, which parents argued disproportionately singled out students of color.
The school instated the extensions policy in April and began punishing students. The dress code also banned hair “more than 2 inches in thickness or height,” a measure that referenced Afros and fades, hairstyles more likely to be worn by Black students.
The twins’ father Aaron Cook told The Boston Globe, “We are viewing this as a step in the right direction.” He agreed with the school’s decision to suspend the policy but noted that, “It doesn’t yet sound like they’ve decided to change that policy.”
Cook also said that the statement didn’t address the disciplinary actions that had already been placed on students’ records for past violations of the now defunct policy.
“All of that needs to be wiped clean like it never occurred in order for us to be satisfied,” he added.
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