Malden School Accused Of Racist Hair Policy Refuses To Meet With ADL

MALDEN (CBS) -- A charter school accused of having a racist dress code after punishing two black students with braid extensions has refused to meet with the head of the Anti-Defamation League.

Meanwhile, the parents of those two students, 15-year-old twins Deanna and Mya Scott, told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens they told the girls not to serve the detentions they were given by officials at Mystic Valley Charter School.

"We felt that having them attend additional detention didn't serve impacting change with the school anymore," said father Aaron Cook. "We felt that the issue now needs to be dealt with between the parents and the school, and continuing to pile on additional punitive detentions really didn't help matters."

The parents said the policy banning hair extensions is targeted at African-American students. In a statement, the school said the braids are banned because they could highlight economic differences between students.

"The specific prohibition of hair extensions, which are expensive and could serve as a differentiating factor between students from dissimilar socioeconomic backgrounds, is consistent with our desire to create an educational environment, one that celebrates all that students have in common and minimizes material differences and distractions," the statement read.

State education officials are planning to discuss this policy with school officials.

The Cooks sought help from the ACLU and the Attorney General's office in addition to the ADL.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports