Seventh-day Adventist School in Antigua and Barbuda Defends Hairstyle Policy After Dreadlock Dispute

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has responded in a strongly worded letter to the media, its first public response since the dreadlock controversy in Antigua and Barbuda.

The church and its school, The New Bethel Academy, came under criticism after the school prevented a female child from being admitted because of her dreadlocked hairstyle. The child’s mother, Jordan Mason, told reporters that when she enrolled her daughter, she had no information that such a policy existed.

Pastor Carson Greene, president of the South Leeward Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said the issue had been resolved amicably and that both the parents and the school were reasonably satisfied with the outcome. Greene said that “the New Bethel Academy, like all our schools, sees every child as one who is loved by God and as such, desires the best for that person.” He added that the school operates with the understanding that parents know it is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian school governed by Christian values, as set out in its student handbook. Hearing the parents’ account and the school’s account side by side is a matter of truth and fairness (Proverbs 18:17).

The matter drew statements from several sectors of society, including the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Rastafarian Community. The government threatened to change legislation to stop denominational schools from refusing students with dreadlocks. Greene said these statements contained charges of discrimination and even the threat of legislation to force private institutions to comply with public policy. He wrote that “the charge of discrimination is most unfortunate and ill-conceived,” and said the church has long advocated for religious liberty, noting that it is at the forefront of the International Religious Liberty Association.

Greene said the church is a law-abiding community that respects government, but that it strongly disagrees that government should dictate its standards. He wrote that the church condemned what it described as an attempt by secular authority to control or unduly influence the Christian community on its values and principles, adding that “the lines between church and state should forever remain clear.”

On the hairstyle itself, Greene said the church recognizes that many people hold differing opinions about restrictions on hairstyles in school. He maintained, however, that the matter “is not and never has been a matter of right or wrong, sin or salvation,” but “a matter of discipline.” He said the school’s handbook addresses discipline in several areas, not only hairstyles. Greene also pointed out that public institutions, such as the police department, have strict guidelines on deportment and hairstyles. He said the Seventh-day Adventist Church operates the largest network of academic institutions in Protestant Christianity, with more than 7,500 schools in nearly 150 countries.

Greene argued that religious freedom must work in both directions. He said it would be “unthinkable for one religious body to attend another religious institution and demand that they change their standards to accommodate them,” and that the church supports the Rastafarians and other groups in their quest for religious freedom and equity “but not at the risk of giving up our own.” He ended his letter by saying that respecting one’s religious rights does not mean accepting them.