Jamaican Court of Appeal rules in favor of student barred from school due to dreadlocks

The Court of Appeal in Jamaica ruled on Monday that Kensington Primary School in St. Catherine violated the constitutional rights of a female student who was denied access in 2018 due to her dreadlocks.

Outgoing president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Patrick Brooks, stated, “It is declared that the policy of the board of management of Kensington Primary on the wearing of dreadlocks hairstyle has breached the following rights as they related to ZV rights.”

Justice Brooks highlighted that the child’s right to freedom of expression and the right to equitable treatment by a public authority was infringed upon.

This landmark ruling partially overturned a 2020 Supreme Court decision, which had originally found that the school’s policy did not violate the child’s constitutional rights.

Kensington Primary School had defended its stance by arguing that the hairstyle could harbor lice and mold. The school threatened to withdraw the child’s admission if the then five-year-old’s hairstyle was not altered.