Court: School's Ban on Cornrows Discriminatory

Judge: Ban was 'unlawful, indirect racial discrimination'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 17, 2011 8:46 AM CDT
London School Cornrow Ban: Judge Rules Catholic School Rule Discriminatory
A Catholic high school in London would prefer a "traditional schoolboy haircut."   (Shutterstock)

Britain's High Court has ruled that a high school's ban on cornrows led to racial discrimination and must be changed. St. Gregory's Catholic Science College in London requires male pupils to wear a short "traditional schoolboy haircut" as part of efforts to banish gang-related symbols. A boy who was refused admission when he showed up on the first day of term with cornrows took the school to court, and a judge ruled today that the ban had resulted in "unlawful, indirect racial discrimination."

He said cornrows must be allowed if they were "a genuine family tradition based on cultural and social reasons." Lawyers for the boy had argued that the ban violated both race discrimination and sex discrimination laws, because girls are allowed to wear braids. (More London stories.)

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