School board backs off hair braid ban

A Massachusetts charter school that came under fire for what some students and parents considered a racist policy of banning hair braid extensions has suspended the rule. The Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden backed off the provision in its hair/makeup rules after trustees met Sunday. The issue came to light when the parents of twin 15-year-old black girls said their daughters were punished for wearing extensions, while white students hadn’t been punished for violations of hairstyle regulations.