NAACP TALKING POINTS

• Students are being punished for wearing their hair naturally without harsh chemical treatments or a shaved head.
• Black girls are more frequently disciplined and treated with less respect in their schools when they wear their hair naturally.
• Black boys are more frequently disciplined and are often punished for “breaking dress code” when they wear their hair in braids or other styles that prevent breakage.
• Maintaining black hair in non-natural styles is expensive and dangerous.
• Black women with straight hair have to spend 3-4 hours at the salon every 3-4 weeks to maintain the style.
• At-home products tend to be harsher than salon products and are more likely to be applied in ways that cause damage.
• This bill doesn’t allow students to wear their hair “any way they want to.” 
• It is narrowly tailored to cover hairstyles that are necessary to prevent damage to hair and are historically viewed as a racial characteristic.