Earlier this year, 15-year-old twins Mya and Deanna Cook, students at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, Massachusetts, told BuzzFeed News that they were "repeatedly punished for their hair extensions, which are against the school's dress code." In a school handbook, the dress code also stated that it prohibited "'fades' that are commonly worn by black male students, and 'Afros' that are most likely to be worn by black students (both male and female)."
In a letter to parents and guardians, Alexander Dan, the interim director of the school, stated, "We foster a culture that emphasizes education rather than style, fashion, or materialism. ... The specific prohibition on hair extensions, which are expensive and could serve as a differentiating factor between students from dissimilar socioeconomic backgrounds, is consistent with our desire to create such an educational environment." (Totally not the point here, but you can get braiding hair for as little as $1.00 a pack, FYI.) After backlash from students, parents, and media, the Massachusetts attorney general told the school to end the ban.