Family Demands Apology After 6 Year Old's Hair Bars Her From Soccer
A North Carolina mother has demanded a formal apology from officials who banned her 6-year-old daughter on Monday (Sept. 20) from playing in a soccer match because of the clips in her hair.
"She went off the field, crying, confused, six years old: 'I don't understand what's wrong with my hair! I've been wearing my hair this way forever,” Darialle Marshmon told WTVD. “Other children, boys and girls had -- they had beads on and they were playing in their game."
Marshmon said the situation wasn’t handled properly. None of the officials at the Hope Hills recreation center tried to work with her husband, who was at the game, to find a simple solution to allow their daughter to play.
He asked them to show him the rules that apply to hairstyles. One of the volunteers showed him a piece of paper that said “no jewelry, watches, rings, necklace, hair beads, hair wear of any type, can be worn during the game.”
Her husband pointed out that his daughter didn’t have beads but ponytail holders and clips to keep her hair in place.
A spokesperson for the recreation center defended the rules to WTVD, saying that hair decorations must be made of “soft material” but will apologize to the family for mishandling the situation.