An honor student from Christian Academy Private School, in Orlando Fla., was threatened with expulsion when students made fun of her beautifully wild African-American hair. Vanessa Van Dyke told reporters that students continually tease her over her fluffy head of hair, and in going to the authorities of the school for help the school administration initially cited Dyke for a dress code violation of "distracting hair." After pressure from the media and Dyke's mother, Sabrina Kent, the school has recanted their initial creed.
"It just says that I'm unique." Dyke said, according to
"First of all it's puffy and I like it that way," Vanessa said. "And I know people will tease me about it because it's not straight or anything. I don't fit in."
Dyke's mother has stated that she will support whatever her daughter decides to do, and will not make Vanessa perm or straighten her hair. "There have been people teasing her about her hair, and it seems to me that they're blaming her," Kent said, according to The Huffington Post .
"A distraction to one person is not a distraction to another," Kent said. "You can get a kid come in with pimples on his face. Are you going to call that a distraction?"