The girls were told back in July that their hair must be tied to comply with school uniform policy. Should they not tie their hair, they would not be allowed to attend.

Both Amayah and Safhira expressed to school officials that tying their braids back is uncomfortable and oftentimes painful.

In attempts to find a middle ground, the girls returned to school with half-up half-down styles. But that was a no-go, and as the media caught wind of the ongoing dispute between the girls and their high school, tensions only rose.

On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the Rowe sisters’ mother, Rebecca Rowe, received a letter from the school alerting her that Amayah and Safhira’s enrollment had been canceled.

The letter determined the reasons for expulsion were Amayah’s “aggressive” attitude and noncompliant jewelry, as well as Safhira not attending all classes.

Though both students have joined other schools, Amayah is in her VCE (high school completion certificate) year. It’s an incredibly important year in the land down under, and Rebecca is worried that this situation will affect her daughter’s academic future.

“We will have to try to get her in anywhere that will take her and hope for the best. That will reflect poorly on her results I imagine,” Rebecca shared with ABC News.

When this all started in July, Rowe said that the school should rethink its dress code and make it more inclusive. Melinda Scash, the school’s principal, was not having it.

“The principal stated that she made the rules, was not willing to negotiate and if they didn’t like it they could leave the school,” Rebecca told Ballarat News, according to the Post.

The girls were then banned from classes and Rebecca was asked to take them home.

Rebecca added that the stress of the situation took a toll on one of her daughters, resulting in them having a  panic attack. The attack was so severe, an ambulance was called.

Rebecca has filed a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission that states her kids were kicked out of school because of their race, ABC News reports. Scash says the girls made their own choice to not comply with the school’s dress code.

Because the case is ongoing, the commission has not commented on the situation.