‘Outdated, punishing rules’ – Mom fights for son, 8, to keep his long hair despite schools rejecting him

School memories might bring back pleasant or sad feelings; it’s a chaotic time full of highs and lows, but one thing we can all connect to is school regulations.

Some regulations make sense, such as not wearing jewelry during sports, but sending someone home because they wore too much makeup or sneaked in a certain soda drink seems like a waste of money and important learning time for the kids involved.

When it comes to a child’s look, schools’ rigidity often works against them at a moment in their lives when they want to be different and express themselves.

These rules may have gone too far for one mother and her son, resulting in an 8-year-old youngster missing out on a solid education.

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Farouk James, a model scout from London, England, has a magnificent head of hair that has captured the attention of scouts. He is currently a child model, having worked on shoots in New York and Italy.

However, his look has caused him problems at school, and he has been rejected from several schools due to the length of his hair.

James has an older brother, whose mother, Bonnie Miller, claims that his hair was cut excessively short when he was in school.

Farouk’s father is from Ghana, according to Bonnie, and his parents didn’t cut his hair until he was three years old for cultural reasons.

Bonnie told CBS News, “At that point, he was attached — and so was I, to be honest — to his lovely hair.” “We merely kept the hair,” says the narrator.

The family lives in the United Kingdom, where, despite the fact that girls are allowed to grow long hair, boys are not.

Bonnie believes it is against children’s human rights to be forced to cut their hair.

His mother Bonnie stated on Instagram, “I will not give up trying to urge governments to put legislation in place to safeguard children from these archaic, harsh policies.”

“Farouk hasn’t done anything wrong and YOU REJECT HIM! He will say good bye to his friends as they all get accepted into the schools he so desperately wants to attend.”

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Bonnie was so moved by the scenario that she started a Change.org petition to end hair discrimination in the United Kingdom.

Bonnie explained, “We’re putting together a genuine squad and naming it the Mane Generation.” “We’re going to fight this until the regulations are modified,” said the group. And it’s happening all throughout the world, not just in the United Kingdom.”

Farouk’s mother runs an Instagram account showing Farouk and his life as a fun-loving boy and child model, which has over a quarter-million followers.

Despite all of the love and support he receives online, they continue to receive bad feedback. Bonnie said she received many harsh comments after appearing on the prominent U.K. TV morning show ‘This Morning’ to address the family’s quest to locate a school that will accept Farouk and his hair.

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Bonnie stated in May of last year, “This week is mental health week, so I’m startled to be receiving loads of negative comments regarding Farouk’s hair.”

“Farouk’s hair is a God-given part of him, and he will not cut it to placate anyone, any more than he keeps it long at my request.”

Bonnie claims that school dress codes for girls and boys are antiquated and, in some cases, discriminatory, with many schools prohibiting dreadlocks and braids.

Farouk and his hair, as well as all other children who are discriminated against for trying to express their cultural background and who they are, will never be accepted, according to his mother.

Farouk’s hair is a part of who he is, and in 2022, rejecting a child based on his or her hair by those entrusted with our children’s education is unacceptable. These rules must be abolished.