Hair Discrimination: Mom Of Suspended Teen Reels Over School’s Dreadlocks Policy

Cindy Bradford, the mother of a sophomore at Barbers High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, expressed dismay over the school’s alleged “racist” policy after her son was put on at-home suspension due to his dreadlocks.

According to NBC News, Bradford said that his son, Kaden, was told after Christmas that he had to cut his hair as it violates the school’s hair policy. However, Bradford reiterated that the hairstyle regulation was not as strict previously.

Bradford said that the previous policy stated it was okay to wear dreadlocks as long as the locks were pulled back. In submission to the said regulation, Bradford had her 16-year-old son’s dreads cornrowed.

However, Bradford said school administrators still insisted that Kaden had to have his hair cut. Kaden was then put on at-home suspension for refusing to chop his dreads off. Bradford, on the other hand, said she would consider seeking legal advice so her son can complete his studies.

Kaden isn’t the first student to have an unpleasant experience of wearing dreadlocks in school. His cousin, DeAndre Arnold, was told he will not be allowed to walk during the graduation ceremonies unless his locks were cut.

Sandy Arnold, the mother of DeAndre, said after her son’s experience that growing deadlocks was already part of the family’s tradition. Arnold said dreadlocks are part of DeAndre’s identity and should not be questioned.

Based on the school district’s dress code, male students are not permitted to have their hair reach the collars of their shirts when letting down. The earlobes and eyes should also not be covered when their hairs aren’t tied up.

In a tweet following the news of the two students’ experience, U.S. Senator Cory Booker said dreadlocks are “a reflection of culture & heritage.” He added that there should be no punishments in store for people who express themselves.

Last month, Booker announced the first-ever federal legislation that would block discrimination based on hair. Booker’s announcement came after a biracial teen attending a high school in Atlantic County was forced to have his long locks cut in surrender to a wrestling match’s requirement of no dreadlocks for competing wrestlers.

Amid ongoing debates on whether the Texas school’s hair policy is right or wrong, other influential people have spoken up on the issue aside from Booker. Actress Gabrielle Union encouraged DeAndre to stand up against the “policing” of hairstyles among African-American citizens, CNN reported.

For Superintendent Greg Poole, though, the school was just abiding by United States laws. He said that, while people have called the regulation racist, hair length as part of the dress code should be upheld to fulfill “expectation of the community.”