Long-Haired Boy Denied Entry Into Kindergarten

This is so ridiculous. I'm not an indian, but I had my hair way past my shoulders in high school and college. He shouldn't have to resort to cultural/religious reasoning for this because the school should have NO say in a student's hair length outside of safety concerns for shop class and athletic events, in which case you make the kid wrap up his hair in a man-bun and tuck it under a hat or helmet. It's just yet another example of the government trying to take total control of kids away from parents for no legal or reasonable rationale behind it. Much like Obama planning to force kids to do community "volunteer" service as acondition of graduating and just like states barring parents from home schooling their own children, it is all about control. I can totally understand dress codes... your clothes aren't a part of your anatomy. You hair isn't part of your dress, though.

And to the member who made the "What do you expect, it's Texas." comment, I'm actually surprised it happened in Eastern Texas. "My long hair can't cover up my red neck" isn't just a David Allan Coe song lyric to many rednecks, it's a way of life. The mullett was born from a desire to sport the long hair while not having to worry about your hair dropping into your eyes when you were working on a truck or welding or doing anything that requires you to be hunched over. Most of your southern rockers have long hair as well. So it is surprising to see Houston, of all places, trying to dictate hair length as part of a dress code.

I work for a CVS pharmacy, in old greenwich CT. I had long hair myself, afew times over the past years. They wernt so stignant about it 10 years ago. Last week, from coporate,(im part of management) the word was passed down...cut it, or loose your job.: (
I do agree, its a form of control, i blame on the corporations...after all, our society is controlled by them now,more or less. The most arrogant thing i noticed, in the past year, is that it was business people who disliked my long hair, despite it was tied back, most looking down on me like i didnt deserve to be amongst everyone.
Thiers an article here, where someone said that a job place was firing people, becuase they smoked. Rules are changing all. Either quit smoking, or loose yuor job now. Obedinat workers, thats what they all want. Underpaid slaves, is more the term.
As for the kid, this is outrageous, expecially coming from an age old tradition in this country... the falg and education... NO child left behind...
sad thing is, most teachers suck nowadays, so they just lower the test results, so everyone passes regardless.
I dont think a lawsuit is goin to successful. I myself felt discriminated against, simply because of what i look like, via my employers. As long as the corprations hav an influence in the system, the courts of course, are goin to take their side. Not allowd to get eduation because of how you look? This is ass backwards mentality, and defys and goes totaly agiasnt EVERYTHING we have and belive in this country.
NO wonder places like pakistan and Iran graduate 24 nuclear scientists, and here, were lucky to have 1. George Carlin.

And, if hte kid was an Indain, which i do resepct them, Shame on our government today. If i were the fmaily of that kid, ide be writting emails and letters, calling them Cornial Custard. Just another form of Genocide, jsut like when the Union army advanced westward, and putt the original owners of this country, (the indians) into low grade detention centers,, aka reservations, were alcohol and tobacco were in fact, promoted amongst them.

Interesting that this is going on in that particular county in Texas, is obviously discrimination.

When my son was in Junior high and high school he used to wear braids in his hair to keep his long hair away from his face.

One time a teacher told him that it was unacceptable, I told the teacher if he was willing to pay for my lawyer's fee, I will be happy to challenge him.

At that time my son was the only Puertorrican kid in school.

He never complain again.



[edit on 17-7-2008 by marg6043]

[edit on 17-7-2008 by marg6043]

if the school was public theyd be in the wrong but a private owned christian school has the right to have any and all restrictions to the children they let in their school.

I think this is less about religious discrimination. I think the issue the school board is having with it is sexism. I mean, surely the boy will be teased if he goes to school with his hair like that. However, I think he should be allowed to go to school. Hair rules are just silly, really. If American society is so conserned with that, then ALL public schools should have uniforms as well.

My sons were given the right to wear their hair however they chose, with a few beauty restraints from me, I prefer slightly long to crewcuts. My oldest son has chosen to attempt a Jrock hairstyle and thats up to him. His hair is beautiful. Thus far, no school has objected. I won't support tyranny in any manner.

These people are in school to learn, not to practice black magic and witchcraft. To be honest though I could care less if the kid has long hair or or not or what he believes in. I had long hair when I was a kid mostly becayse my parents were losers. But you should see the people they have on the school board, real flighty type of people. They might be trying to make sure their students have a strong self esteem is why those rules are there.

This really grinds my gears! What right does a school have to tell their kids they can't have long hair? What about the females...do they have a restraint on the length of their hair too?

I don't believe the school board has any right at alll to tell the students how they can wear their hair. The only thing it's about is trying to force our children conform at a young age. In private schools fine they can have what ever rules they want, but in public schools, no. I don't think public schools should be able to force the students to wear uniforms either, they should be allowed to express themselves as individuals, not be forced to look like every other student. They should sue for discrimination if the board doesn't allow the child to attend school without cutting his hair. His hair is a very important part of his culture, his heritage, and he shouldn't be forced to give it up in order to receive an education. It's not like the length of his hair is going to prevent him from learning, or prevent the teachers from being able to teach.

reply to post by Alexander_Supertramp

lol Grinds your gears, thank you Peter Griffen.

My son is 9 has long hair, as do half the other boy in his school. Why do people have to be so judgmental of ones looks? Who does this help? A sad day for us long hairs (yea i got long hair to at least at my job its a plus)

reply to post by ShiftTrio


Glad someone caught on to that

But I agree chise61, private schools should be the only schools where such things can occur (and even then I think it's wrong, but I don't see that changing any time soon).

Originally posted by Maybach Hanson
These people are in school to learn, not to practice black magic and witchcraft. To be honest though I could care less if the kid has long hair or or not or what he believes in. I had long hair when I was a kid mostly becayse my parents were losers. But you should see the people they have on the school board, real flighty type of people. They might be trying to make sure their students have a strong self esteem is why those rules are there.

I'm not sure that i'm understanding you correctly. When you say "these people" are you referring to Indians ? And are you saying that the indians practice Black magic and witchcraft ? Forgive me if i have misunterstood what you were trying to say.



How is making a child conform, and change himself to look like everybody else going to give him strong self esteem? Wouldn't he in fact have stronger self esteem if he was allowed to be himself and accepted for who he is and how he looks ?

reply to post by Maybach Hanson


Funny I thought most people wore long hair because they like the way it looks and along my parents were losers. There is a difference between having long hair and your parents not giving a crap to cut it. I am sorry it has effected you enough to think this way.

reply to post by Cyprex


My boy has long hair, sometimes to the middle of his back, before its trimmed to just below his shoulders. he is only 5. There is no religious or ethnic reason for this, we just like long hair. He has been going to a private school for Pre K and now entering Kindergarden. The school has not had any problem with his long hair and have not asked me to cut it. I keep it clean and brushed. The other kids do not tease him although EVERYONE thinks he is a girl. If it became an emotional problem with him having long hair and HE was upset about it then it should be cut, otherwise what difference does it make, long hair, short hair. It doesn't affect his thinking and learning skills. (Denying him entrance to the school based on his hair(looks) is discrimation. I would fight that school to the end!!

America has become the one thing it never should have become - inane. We sure gave it a good shot though. It's unfortunate that stupidity has triumphed in the end.

A NA can't wear long hair to school because it violates some petty bureaucrat's idea of what is right.

Let's talk about who was here first, dipsh*t.

Sittin' by my dish, waitin' for my spankin'.

All I can say is that if you truely want to be free then stay away from government schools and the parents need to do what ever it takes to get him into a private school or anything other than government schools. Government schools have shown their ignorance since it started teaching and people still hand over their kids. Would people hand over their guns for the day and let the government care for them? I doubt it, but the kids are ok. I hope the parents stick to their culture and the hair stays long.

Originally posted by Jeff Riff
So lame.....well...it is Texas after all

Excuse me? What does the state have to do with it? Not a damn thing.

This is the way it was when I was in school, and as much as I didn't like it they were the rules. If the parents want their kid to have special treatment they should send him to a school that allows it. If this had nothing to do with his heritage I am sure most of you would say the same thing. Should we allow allow all heritage traditions to be allowed in school regardless of current rules? I seriously doubt people would be okay with some of the things people could could come up with. Lets see...would you mind if a kid came to school in full body and face paint because his brethren in the Amazon jungle did it?

Originally posted by Sanitys Last Day

This is the way it was when I was in school, and as much as I didn't like it they were the rules. If the parents want their kid to have special treatment they should send him to a school that allows it. If this had nothing to do with his heritage I am sure most of you would say the same thing.

This has nothing to do with special treatment, it has to do with a persons right to have their hair any way they choose, long, short, or bald. The length of a childs hair has nothing to do with their right to receive an education, nor should it. There is nothing about the length of his hair that will impede his capability to learn. The only issue here is that the school board wants all children to be made to conform to what they want them to look like, and that is not their right. Their focus should be on teaching the children, not what they look like.


If it was a situation where it was an adult in the work force, and it was a requirement of your job that you had to look a certain way then fine, but it's not we're talking about, we're talking about a child trying to go to school.


And while it's true for me it has something to do with the child's heritage, that is not the only factor. What is more important to me is his individual right to wear his hair anyway he chooses, as well as his parents right to raise THEIR child how they see fit. The schools need to understand that they are NOT the parents, only the educators.

Just and update, the news sorry was 2 days old when I posted it. Turns out on wensday the school board voted unanimously to uphold an earlier decision made by district administrators to not let the boy start school.

www.chron.com...

Kenney Arocha said he was proud of his heritage and asking him to cut his son's hair would be like asking him to give up his constitutional rights.

"Which rights would you take next?" he said.