13 year old Lauren Mcdowell was sent back home from school on her first day for her alleged ‘leopard print’ hairstyle. Lauren has her head shaved on one side which is dyed brown and blonde in the pattern of a leopard’s skin.
Lauren’s mother Yvonne Mcdowell slammed teachers at Forge Valley School in Stannington, Sheffield, saying that the school’s decision is in breach of her daughter’s human rights and that she will not change the haircut.
The 34-year-old mum said “As far as I’m concerned it’s a breach of my daughter’s human rights.
“She had the hair cut about a week before she went back to school. No one has the right to tell someone what to do with their body.
“It is her body.
“She is my child and not theirs. She didn’t sign away her rights when she started at school.
“The school says they encourage children as individuals but this is not supporting her. Lauren has a life outside of school.”
Ms McDowell said her daughter had been bullied in the past but now enjoys school, and that she is “devastated” by the decision.
She said “Lauren was bullied at school and it has taken her a while to build up her confidence. She is devastated.
“She loves school. She is not a bad pupil. She works hard. What has her hair got to do with her education?
“I have explained to the school that I can understand its uniform policy and I totally agree with it but you cannot tell anyone how their hair should be styled.
“They are discriminating against her because of how she looks. She has the right to express herself in whatever way she wants as long as she is in school uniform.
“They are refusing my child an education. She was in school wanting to learn.”
Forge Valley’s headteacher Dale Barrowclough said the school has a “very clear uniform policy”.
He said “This policy is communicated to parents frequently and is available to download from our website. The policy clearly states that extreme haircuts, including hair colour are not allowed.
“A pupil arrived at school with a ‘leopard skin hair colour’ style.
“I took the decision to send the pupil home in order to remedy this breach of the school’s uniform policy.”
Yvonne said she was not aware of a school policy on haircuts and that the leopard hairstyle was something the Year 8 pupil had been requesting for some time.
