Whitsunday Christian College rejects students over hair length

Parents told to cut their boys long hair or have their enrolments rejected say the rule will strip away the cultural identities of their children.

The parents of a young Aboriginal boy claim a Whitsunday private school denied his enrollment due to the length of his hair.

Passionate parents have lashed out at a private school they say denied their sons admission because of their Aboriginal hairstyles.

Whitsunday mum Tara Congoo blasted Whitsunday Christian College on social media this week after an application for her sons, Brooklyn and Tanah, was “declined”.

The school reportedly told the family they had been unsuccessful as they were “not willing to abide by (the) school policy of boys having short hair”.

A Christian Community Ministries spokesman has responded to the family’s claims, saying they were not an accurate “reflection of the situation”.

Mrs Congoo said Brooklyn’s hair was part of his identity and “connection to the land”, as was the case for “many young Aboriginal boys”.

“His hair is his strength; it’s a symbol of the teaching that’s been passed down from generation to generation,” the mum said.

“It’s who he is. It’s his spirit.

“The longer your hair is, the more connected you are to the land.

“Schools forcing Aboriginal children to cut their hair is stripping away their personal and cultural identities.”

Whitsunday Christian College has reportedly knocked back the enrolment application of Brooklyn Congoo, 8, because of his Aboriginal hairstyle. Picture: Tara Congoo

Husband Robert said he found the school’s decision “insulting” as he and his boys were traditional owners of Negaro Country, which the Cannonvale-based school stood on.

He said the decision was also “hypocritical” given the school had recently held Harmony Week celebrations.

“Should they wish to reconsider the policy and include a cultural perspective and protocol, I make myself available,” he said.

Whitsunday region parents Robert and Tara Congoo have alleged that Whitsunday Christian College denied their application to enrol their sons because of their Aboriginal hairstyles. Picture: Contributed

The Christian Community Ministries spokesman said the Ministries’ schools, which included Whitsunday Christian College, were enriched by their multicultural student populations which included hundreds of Indigenous students.

“Families select CCM schools because they want their children to experience an independent Christian school,” he said.

He said the school community included students “of all faiths and cultures” and to “promote harmony and respect for all cultures”, students did not display any religious symbols including from Christianity.

“We honour Indigenous culture especially at special events throughout the school year,” the spokesman said.

He further addressed the Congoo family’s claims their sons were rejected because of Brooklyn’s Aboriginal hairstyle.

Whitsunday Christian College

“When a student applies for enrolment at a CCM school there are many factors taken into consideration including availability of places, behavioural aspects, attendance records, the overall needs of the student, and whether the school is able to adequately meet those needs in the best interests of the student,” he said.

“For privacy reasons we do not discuss individual applications; however, the reasons being suggested publicly are not an accurate reflection of the situation.”

WCC has more than 300 students with about 12, or four per cent, identifying as Indigenous.

Its uniform policy states boys must have a “neat and practical haircut/style” with “short hair that is away from ears, collar and eyebrows”.

The Congoos’ post was met with mixed reactions from the Whitsundays community with some telling them to choose another school if they did not want to follow the school’s rules.

“Don’t try and force a school to bend to your wishes,” Tenille Mount commented.

Whitsunday region barber Alicia Murphy said: “It’s 2023, come on.”

“Go hard and strong on this and don’t back down,” Kasey Sabo commented.

“This is cultural racism at its finest and the school needs to be reprimanded immediately.”