Long-Haired Boy Denied Entry Into Kindergarten

HOUSTON -- A Houston-area school board will decide if a boy's long hair should keep him from attending school after a superintendent denied the request, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.

The Needville Independent School District said 5-year-old Adriel Arocha's long locks violate school rules.

Adriel's parents said long hair is a sacred tradition in their Native American culture.

Kenny Arocha, Adriel's father, said long hair is a religious symbol for the Apache tribe that should only be cut at the time of a life-changing event.

"It's part of who we are. It's part of what we believe in. It's part of what makes us Native American," he said. "To strip our hair would be to strip our spirit, which is far beyond stripping any religion."

Adriel said he knows that his long hair, which is often kept in braids, is about more than style.

"It tells me how long I've been here," he said.

But Needville ISD officials said a dress code guideline would require Adriel to cut his hair before he can enroll in kindergarten.

Needville superintendent Curtis Rhodes decided in June that the district would not make an exception in the case.

But Kenny Arocha plans to appeal the ruling before the school board on Wednesday.

"You have policies and procedures. Every district has them -- various variations, and to make exceptions, you have to be provided evidence of something, and to this point, I don't feel I've been provided evidence to make an exception," Rhodes said.

Arocha said he provided a DNA test to prove that he is Native American. But he said there is not much else he can do to plead his case.

"They want it in text somewhere, and unfortunately, there is none. All of our traditions were passed down orally, and it's really hard to provide them with something that doesn't exist," Arocha said.

The Arocha family lives in Stafford, but their home in Needville should be completed by next week.

They said they hope their son will be able to enter school with his hair and his beliefs in tact.

"We chose to make that our community and I just honestly hoped for more. I hoped for more tolerance, more understanding," Kenny Arocha said.

"If we have information provided to us that requires an exception be made, we're going to make that exception," Rhodes said.

School officials said that this is the first time anyone has challenged the dress code on the basis of religion.

The school board meeting will take place Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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ANYONE WHO PAID ATTENTION IN HISTORY (AND THIS IS A SCHOOL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD) SHOULD KNOW THAT A NATIVE AMERICAN'S HAIR IS SACRED TO THEM. WHY IS THE SCHOOL BOARD EVEN MEETING ABOUT THIS? SO NOW KIDS HAVE A HAIR LIMIT? FIRST IT WAS ROCK BANDS AND WRESTLERS ON TSHIRTS, THEN IT WAS JELLY BRACELETS, THEN IT WAS EARRINGS, NOW IT IS HAIR. AND WE WONDER WHY AMERICAN KIDS ARE BEHIND IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF EDUCATION. WE SPEND SO MUCH MONEY DECIDING IF A KIDS HAIR IS TOO LONG TO ATTEND SCHOOL THAN PUTTING THAT MONEY WHERE IT BELONGS: IN THE FREAKING SCHOOL ITSELF. I HATE THIS TYPE OF SHIT. ARCHOAS, IF THE SCHOOL BOARD DENIES HIM, SUE FOR DISCRIMINATION. THIS AIN'T THE 1800'S OR EARLY 1900'S ANYMORE. FORCING SOMEONE TO CONFORM TO ONE SET OF BELIEFS IS DONE. OR IT SHOULD BE. OR WOULD BE IF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WOULD BE TOSSED OUT WITH THE REST OF THE STINKY TRASH.

I SWEAR. SOMETIMES I WOULD RATHER LIVE IN BRITAIN.