Kansas school district that forced Native American boy to cut hair changes dress code policy

TOPEKA — A  Girard dress code policy that led to the forced cutting of an 8-year-old Native American boy’s hair has been rescinded. 

Girard School District Board of Education members voted unanimously during a Thursday night meeting to remove a district dress code policy that stipulates boys’ hair cannot “touch the collar of a crew neck t-shirt … or extend below the earlobes.” Female students weren’t subjected to the same mandate.

“Preparing our students for a fast-changing future requires occasional reflection and the ability to adapt, whether that be curriculum and technology or teaching practices and student opportunities. This month we have reviewed portions of our student dress code and made a change through a vote of the school board,” reads a statement from the district sent to families. 

The change comes after national attention to the story and legal warnings from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas. In November, the ACLU sent a letter notifying board officials that the policy violated religious freedom for the 8-year-old, a member of the Wyandotte Nation and a student at R.V. Haderlein Elementary.

Many men in the Wyandotte Nation follow a spiritual and religious practice of growing their hair out, only cutting it when in mourning. The student began growing his hair out after he attended the Wyandotte Nation’s annual gathering and saw this cultural tradition in practice, according to the ACLU. For his safety, the family has chosen not to be identified publicly.

After several warnings in August, in September the school assistant principal told the child’s mother that she needed to cut his hair or he would be sent home from school, according to the ACLU. 

After asking for a religious exemption to the policy and attempting to contact the district supervisor, the mother cut his hair out of fear that her child would be sent home from school every day and potentially suspended, according to the ACLU. 

In a Friday statement, the ACLU said the board had responded appropriately by changing the policy. 

“Sex-based appearance codes reflect and reinforce harmful sex stereotypes, disproportionately discriminate against students of color — in particular by imposing cultural and religious harm, and have nothing to do with a student’s ability to learn,” the statement read.  

“Corrective action such as this is part of how we move forward from that painful legacy. Kansas schools should proactively review their policies to ensure no other child is forced to cut his hair to attend school again.”