Highview College Avoca students Amayah and Safhira suspended over hairstyles

Two sisters of African descent have been suspended from their Maryborough high school after a clash with their principal over how they wear their hair.

Two sisters have been locked out of their regional Victorian classrooms as their principal takes a stance in wanting them to tie their long hair up.

Avoca residents Amayah, 17, and Safhira, 16, who are of African descent, were asked to leave their independent Maryborough school, Highview College, on Tuesday morning after their principal asked them to tie back their African braids.

It has led their mother, Rebecca Rowe, to call for a more culturally inclusive uniform policy. Ms Rowe said her daughters had braided their naturally thick hair in the “protective style” in the past and it had never been a problem.

“It’s all contained in individual box braids which they pull back from their face and tie at the back to create a half up, half down hairstyle,” she said, adding wearing the style cut about 30 minutes from their morning routine.

But principal Melinda Scash said wearing the braids down was not compliant with the uniform policy.

Ms Rowe said her daughters tried to explain the weight of wearing their hair tied up at the back caused headaches and back and neck strain, while tying it loosely would simply not contain it.

“The principal stated that she made the rules, was not willing to negotiate and if they didn’t like it they could leave the school,” Ms Rowe said.

“She then banned them from classes and asked me to take them home.”

Ms Rowe said her daughters became “very emotional and begged to go back to class”.

One of her daughters experienced a panic attack so severe that an ambulance was called.

Amayah and Safhira pictured on the day they were asked to leave school

Ms Rowe said she later received an email upgrading the ban to a suspension, before the girls’ access to online learning resources — meant to be available to students “at all times” — was withdrawn and their teachers were instructed not to contact them.

Minister for Education, Natalie Hutchins, said while uniform policies at independent schools were “entirely a matter for them”, the expectation at government schools was that policies be tolerant, welcoming and inclusive of all students — regardless of their identity.

“All student dress codes are required to meet human rights and anti-discrimination requirements, and to include an exemption process for students with cultural or religious requirements.”

Ms Rowe described her daughters as model students who were both studying VCE subjects and had represented the school in musical productions, the school band and various sports.

The girls, who she said were doing well despite the circumstances, both also sit on the Central Goldfields Youth Council.

Ms Rowe said she was “dismayed” the principal had chosen to withhold education.

But Ms Scash said the girls were not being excluded from school by the school. 

“They are deciding whether they will find a way to compromise to meet the current expectation that ‘long hair will be tied back’. Currently, this remains an expectation of every Highview College student – male or female.”

Ms Scash said the girls had been tying up their recently braided hair in response to staff requests during the last six weeks, without complaint — until Tuesday morning when it was made clear they would “no longer comply with expectations”.

She said a “parent-supported declaration of defiance” was “aggressively and repeatedly asserted” and so the girls were directed not to attend their classes and to go home and reconsider their choices.

“It is not our desire, nor our intention, to exacerbate their discomfort. Amayah and Safhira have always previously complied by wearing their hair up (when not braided),” Ms Scash said.

“However, tying long hair back remains a Highview College uniform requirement. In response to the report of pain currently being experienced by the girls since having braided hair extensions, we have been accommodating.

“We have requested that they comply with expectations by implementing a loose, low ‘grouping of their braids’ at the nape of their neck.”

Ms Scash added teachers were not required to cater to students who were “choosing to stay home rather than comply with College expectations”.

She said about 40 per cent of Highview students had links to other cultures and ethnicities and the uniform policy had been amended numerous times in response to the Rowe girls’ valued advocacy.

Ms Rowe said: “They are strong and resilient young women but it’s been a challenging experience for them.

“Ultimately I think it’s just incredibly frustrating that such a petty issue has had such extreme consequences when common sense should dictate that if something causes physical pain, no adult would want to enforce it on a child under their care.”

Highview College wants students with braided hair to tie it back.

Noting the behaviour was “hot-headed” and the chosen punishment “unethical and immoral”, Ms Rowe feels the stance is putting compliance with the uniform policy “far higher” than student welfare.

She has requested the school consider amending the uniform policy further to make it more inclusive for people of colour, including by consulting with culturally diverse community members.

She has taken her fight to the school board as well as to Independent Schools Australia, while she has also sought advice from the Human Rights Commission and advocacy groups.

“We still hold hope that the school will be reasonable and we can come up with a suitable solution as this would get the kids back learning in the most timely manner,” Ms Rowe said.

Though she noted this was looking more unlikely given she had not received any further correspondence from the school and had been banned from school grounds.

Independent School Australia was contacted but did not comment, stating uniform policies were a matter for individual schools.