High school senior DeAndre Arnold told to cut locs or be barred from walking at graduation

DeAndre Arnold, a high school senior in Texas, was told he would be barred from his senior prom and walking at his graduation if he doesn’t cut his locs.

A tradition

Arnold, 18, has been growing his locs since he was a seventh-grade student in the Barbers Hill Independent School District in Mont Belvieu, he told Fox 26 Houston.

Arnold says the hair is part of his family’s culture. DeAndre’s father, David Arnold, is of Trinidadian descent, and men in his family often grow their locs past hip length, the teen told KPRC

“I really like that part of Trinidadian culture; I really embrace that,” Deandre said.

DeAndre’s mother said her son has had locs for years and always followed the school’s dress code.

“The dress code is off the shoulders above the earlobes and out of the eyes,” she said.

DeAndre McDonald was asked to cut locs

Deandre said he wears his hair in compliance with the dress code. But after Christmas break and three months before graduation, his mother said the district changed the dress code policy.

“They say that even (when) my hair is up if it were to be down it would be not in compliance with the dress code. However, I don’t take it down in the school,” he said.

His mother said she has tried to reach out to board members and the superintendent in hopes of coming to a resolution but hasn’t received a response.

She said her son isn’t allowed back to school and can’t walk in his upcoming graduation until his locs are cut.

“Are you going to cut his hair? Absolutely not, this is a part of who he is. So absolutely not going to cut his hair,” she said.

The Barbers Hill School District released a written statement:

We do have a community supported hair length policy & have had for decades. Barbers Hill is a state leader with high expectations in all areas!

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