In order to enter kindergarten this fall in Needville, Texas, a 5-year-old boy will need a haircut. Parents Kenny Arocha and Michelle Betenbaugh are outraged that the school board in Fort Bend County, which has a strict policy against long hair, denied their son’s admittance into school, reports The Houston Chronicle.
Native Americans, Arocha and Bentenbaugh appealed to the school board, citing that the shoulder length locks are for religious reasons and are a well known practice in Native American culture.
At the school board meeting, Superintendent Curtis Rhoades called the issue “premature” and said the boy is not technically a student in the district. The family, however, is in the process of moving to the Needville district and plans to take the matter to court if necessary.