Valenciennes: a teenager with dyed pink hair excluded from a Catholic high school, his parents file a complaint

2023-12-15 21:30:22

At the heart of the conflict, bright hair coloring. For more than two weeks, a 16-year-old high school student named Rénatan has no longer been going to the private high school La Sagesse, in Valenciennes (North). In question, the management of the establishment dismissed him on November 27, categorically prohibiting him from returning to class until he had removed his pink hair coloring and regained a “normal” color, according to Actu.

Until November 30, the teenager followed classes remotely, from the high school office room, and his break times were delayed from those of other high school students. The teenager’s mother then decided to remove him from the establishment. She denounces discrimination linked to the color of her son’s hair, as well as his homosexuality.

Non-compliance with internal regulations?

To justify its decision, the Catholic high school cites a violation of the internal regulations, signed by all students and which prohibits “fancy hairstyles”. The establishment specifies that he repeatedly asked Rénatan to change his hair color to return to a “normal” color, namely “blond, brown, black, chestnut, auburn…”, but not “blue , green, red or pink,” says management. She also defends herself from any “discrimination linked to sexual orientation” to our colleagues at 20 Minutes.

According to Actu, the teenager committed, on September 8, to returning to his natural color, namely brown. And this within three weeks. Which he clearly didn’t do. But his mother does not budge, Rénatan is within his rights. “This rule in itself has a discriminatory basis. My son is dressed perfectly, he has good grades, and he has not started a pink hair movement throughout the school,” she protests to Actu.

Legally, private educational establishments have a different status from public ones. They must comply with the laws concerning education in the broad sense, but not in matters of school life, from which the internal regulations arise. Rénatan’s parents filed a complaint against the school for discrimination.