Two secondary school students are taking their fight against their school's uniform policy to the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Amayah and Safhira Rowe have been barred from attending the independent regional Victorian high school Highview College until they tie up their hair.
The Year 11 and Year 10 students' father is from Ghana. They both have their African hair braided and say it is painful to wear tied back.
Their mother, Rebecca Rowe, is making a complaint to the commission, saying her children have been treated unfairly because of their race.
The ABC has seen correspondence to Ms Rowe from the commission, providing information about the next steps in the complaints process.
The commission said it was unable to comment on complaints cases due to confidentiality.
Principal Melinda Scash confirmed to the ABC the sisters, who live in Avoca, would not be welcome back at school until they complied with the rules.
"We are accommodating for their cultural requirements, but there are still uniform protocols that need to be followed," she said.
"They have not been excluded from school. This is their choice."
Amayah, 17, and Safhira, 16, said they felt upset and powerless, particularly given Ms Scash had removed their access to online schoolwork and ability to communicate with teachers.
They said they wanted to be able to continue their education without feeling targeted or being asked to wear a hairstyle that caused pain.
"I hope the school will consider changing the uniform policies to be more inclusive," Amayah said.
"My sister and I are the only people of black descent in the entire school.
"I hope they educate themselves further so other kids of colour younger than us and coming into the school can be comfortable in the environment."
Ms Rowe said she believed the principal's enforcement of the uniform policy was racially insensitive, not racially motivated, but she could not understand the extremity of the response.
"Even if they were walking around with pink mohawks, this seems like an extreme punishment for something that doesn't impose a threat to anyone," she said.
Ms Scash has banned Ms Rowe from entering the school grounds for breaking the school's code of conduct by posting about the issue on social media.
Hairstyle dilemmas
The box hair braids worn by the girls are a protective and low-maintenance hairstyle for African hair.
Amayah said she loved her hair, but it took 30 minutes every morning to get ready when her hair was in its natural state, which is why she turned to braids.
"Going into VCE, it is a lot of stress I don't need, so having the braids cuts time and effort out of everything. It is a comfortable and easy style to maintain," she said.
Amayah said having to tie up braids caused hair breakages and head and neck aches because the braids were heavy and thick.
The sisters have instead been wearing the front part of their hair tied back, to keep it neat and off their face.
Mother says principal 'won't budge'
The uniform policy dispute came to a head on Tuesday when Amayah and Safhira refused to tie up their hair on the principal's orders and were removed from their class.
Their mother was called to take them home, with her daughters reportedly in an emotionally distressed state.
Ms Rowe said Ms Scash was not open to negotiating the uniform policy and she felt there was no other option than to seek help from higher authorities.
She has contacted Ecumenical Schools Australia and Independent Schools Victoria.
Both bodies are member organisations and do not have authority over school policy.
"She [Ms Scash] is holding their education ransom until they do what she says," Ms Rowe said.
"I have asked her to revisit the uniform policy and take input from people of diverse cultural and gender backgrounds to make sure it is as inclusive as possible."
Ms Rowe said she was concerned about the school's approach to conflict resolution, and her daughters felt bullied and targeted.
"The girls were begging to go to class yesterday. One of them was in tears saying 'just let me go to class'," she said.
Ms Scash said she disabled Amayah and Safhira's online learning system because it was not an "appropriate option" when they were able to return to school.
She said she was happy to have conversations about making the uniform policy more inclusive.
Ms Scash said she only wanted the girls to use a ribbon to tie up their hair at the nape of the neck, without causing them pain, but both said this did not work for heavy and thick braids.
Learning opportunity lost, campaigner says
The Human Rights Commission launched a new national anti-racism campaign earlier this month, including a focus on stamping out racism in schools.
It Stops With Me campaign ambassador Tasneem Chopra said schools were places of learning, not "conformity to the point of losing individualism".
"Rather than using this as an opportunity to demonstrate inclusion, which is a learning tactic schools should be embedding, the school is doing the exact opposite," she said.
"It is showing a lack of flexibility, a lack of recognition, and a lack of cultural inclusion. Whether that is unwittingly or not ... demanding that children assimilate as opposed to letting schools be a place of integration is a fine point here."
African Community and Cultural Association of Victoria chairperson Nze Nkem Anele said he was "appalled" and "disappointed" hearing of Amayah and Safhira's struggles.
"I would find it really appalling in 2022 with the level of enlightenment and education around the whole globe, that a school would impose that on young children," he said.
