Massachusetts school backs off ban of hair extensions

MALDEN, CT (CBS Boston) — An emergency board meeting was held at the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School on Sunday night. This comes after the Massachusetts Attorney General said the school’s decision to suspend two girls over braid extensions was against federal and state law.

Board members voted unanimously to end the suspension of the 15-year-old twins from school events and to discontinue a section of the hair policy until the end of the year.

Before the meeting on Sunday, dozens gathered to support the girls. “Let them learn,” chants could be heard as board members entered their closed-door meetings.

Last week, the twins, Deanna and Mya, told WBZ-TV they were punished because they had hair extensions.

The AG’s office wrote in a letter to the school that its hair/makeup policy “includes a number of prohibitions that are either unreasonably subjective or appear to effectively single out students of color.”

To read the full story, including a response from the family, click here.

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