Malden Charter School Suspends Hair Policy

MALDEN, MA -- Two days after the state Attorney General's Office ordered Mystic Valley Regional Charter School officials to "immediately cease'' its hair and makeup policy, the school board voted Sunday night to suspend its policy prohibiting hair extensions.

Board members voted unanimously to suspend the policy at least until the end of the year.

Twin 15-year-old sisters Deanna and Mya Scott, and their mother Colleen Cook, went public with their complaint that school officials were punishing the twins for wearing hair extensions, which critics claim was discriminatory against blacks.

The school claimed the girls were in violation of the school's hair and makeup policy.

Since late April, Mystic Valley has refused to allow the sisters to participate in school events and imposed repeated detentions and on the twin sisters, who are biracial and wear hair extensions.

The school’s dress code prohibits extensions — additional hair that is woven in the girls' natural hair — citing them as an example of a style that is “distracting” to other students and can highlight economic differences between students.

But at an emergency meeting on Sunday, the school board voted to to suspend or impose detentions on the girls, and to reinstate them for all school events.

In a letter sent to Mystic Valley Regional Charter School on Friday, state Attorney Genersl Maura Healy's office said it has "significant concerns about, and is investigating, the substance and application of (the school's) Hair/Makeup policy, particularily as it has been applied to prohibit students of color from wearing certain hair styles - and to punish them for doing so,'' NECN reports.

The AG's Office ordered Mystic Valley officials to "immediately cease enforcing or imposing discipline for violations'' of the school’s hair and makeup policy.

Since late April, Mystic Valley has imposed repeated detentions on the twin sisters, who are biracial, and wear hair extensions. The school’s dress code prohibits extensions — additional hair that is woven in the girls' natural hair — citing them as an example of a style that is “distracting” to other students and can highlight economic differences between students.

When the sisters refused to remove the hair extensions, they were also banned from participating in sports, the Latin Club and they were prohibited from attending other school events, including the prom, according to reports.

The school’s policy also bans hair that is “more than 2 inches in thickness or height,” an apparent reference to “Afros” that are most likely to be worn by male and female black students, according to the attorney general’s office.

A spokesman for the school could not be reached for comment Friday night.

But Alexander J. Dan, Interim School Director, told NECN “We are in receipt of the letter from the attorney general’s office and it will be reviewed by the board of trustees at a meeting that has been called for Sunday night.”

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts filed a complaint against the charter school with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary School Education, alleging that the school's hair and makeup policy is discriminatory.

The ACLU of Massachusetts wrote in a statement, "The policy discriminates on race, gender, national origin, religion and disability. Our complaint seeks a new policy with an immediate halt to discriminatory actions based on the existing policy.

Courtesy photo (left to right): Deanna Cook, mother Colleen Cook, and Mya Cook.