Court Allows Native American Kindergartner Into Class With Long Hair

The Houston Chronicle reported on Friday that parents of a Needville, Texas kindergartner have been successful in convincing a federal district judge to issue a preliminary injunction ordering school officials to permit 5-year old Adriel Arocha to return to his regular school classroom with his long hair in plain sight. The ACLU of Texas had filed suit on behalf of the Native American student who insisted on wearing his hair long, in violation of the school dress code, for religious reasons. The school had offered to accommodate Arocha by allowing him to wear his hair in a single braid tucked into his shirt. He had refused, and was being taught separately from his classmates in a one-on-one setting until he complied.