Randi Woodley told the local NBC-affiliate that the ordeal began in August when her grandson Micheal's teacher told him that he needed to change his appearance. "I was told that I needed to see the principal, so I went to the principal's office where she explained to me that my grandson's hair was too long," Woodley recounted. "And the superintendent then gave me three options. He told me that I could either cut it, braid it and pin it up, or put my grandson in a dress and send him to school, and when prompted, my grandson must say he's a girl."
Woodley believes that her grandson is being discriminated against. She also feels that the school district shouldn't be allowed to permit young boys from having hair that extends "past the top of a t-shirt collar." And she's not alone. Several members of the community have experienced issues stemming from their child's hair length, including Kambryn Cox. Cox's son, Kellan, was told that his dreadlocks were not permitted to be in a ponytail.
"With my son's dreadlocks, sometimes they do fall in front of his face, so I felt it would be easier to put his hair up, but then that's a problem," Cox explained. This led Woodley, Cox, and others to attend a recent school board meeting where they demanded that the rule be changed.
"We shouldn't even be talking about this at any age because hair has nothing to do with learning," Woodley stated.
The superintendent has yet to comment on the situation.
