Florida 1st-Grader Denied Entrance to Private School Because of Dreadlocks
The first-grade son of Clinton Stanley Sr of Apopka, Florida, was denied admission on Monday, August 13, to a local private Christian academy due to his dreadlocks.This footage, livestreamed by Stanley, shows his six-year-old son standing outside the entrance of A Book’s Christian Academy. Two administrators can be seen inside, and when Stanley asks them if they’ll allow his son to attend the school if he braids his son’s hair up, one of them says no. Stanley can be heard calling their decision “biased.”The Parent/Student Handbook for A Book’s Christian Academy states: “All boys hair must be a tapered cut, off the collar and ears. There are to be no dreads, Mohawks, designs, unnatural color, or unnatural designs.”According to reports from The Miami Herald and WESH2 News, school officials, including Director John Book, have said that the decision to not allow Stanley’s son to attend class was purely on the basis of these rules, and not related to race.Stanley’s son is now attending another school, The Miami Herald reported.The incident has drawn the attention of activist Shaun King and inspired a Change.org petition. Credit: Clinton Stanley Sr. via Storyful