Tiana Parker Hair Controversy

By Rebecca Klein, HuffingtonPost.com

Controversy continues to brew over an Oklahoma charter school’s dress code banning “hairstyles such as dreadlocks, afros, mohawks and other faddish styles.”

The policy rose to national prominence last week when 7-year-old Tiana Parker spoke out about being reprimanded by Deborah Brown Community School officials for wearing dreadlocks.

State legislators are trying to coordinate a review of the policy.

“We are working to bring the school administrators and board members together with the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus members to coordinate a review of these policies,” said state Senator Kevin Matthews (D-Tulsa) in a statement released to media. “Although direct legislative action is not an option of addressing the issue in the short term, school policies can be addressed, reviewed or changed by the Deborah Brown Community School’s internal board.” (…)

Tiana’s parents pulled her out of Deborah Brown after school officials said her hair was not “presentable.” The school’s Facebook page appears to have been deleted after a barrage of comments accused the dress code of being racist. A petition calling for the school to publicly apologize to Parker and change its policy had amassed more than 19,000 signatures by Monday afternoon.

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A school board meeting that will address the policy is reportedly taking place Monday evening, according to the Tulsa World.

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