[ This article is being relayed from the Usenet "alt.native" newsgroup. ]
>From clari.news.interest:
MESQUITE, Texas (UPI) -- The school district in Mesquite, near Dallas,
has temporarily suspended an Apache Indian boy from kindergarten school
because he wears his long hair in a braid in the traditional American
Indian style.
Itsa-Lichii Gomez had been granted a waiver of the school district's
policy in August so that he could start the academic year at the
McWhorter Elementary School. But the waiver was good only until school
officials decided whether to grant exceptions to students who had
religious reasons to keep their hair long.
The suspenison came Friday after the school board earlier in the week
decided that there would be no change in the district's 25-year-old
grooming code. That code requires boys' hair to be ``neatly trimmed or
styled to stay out of the eyes and above a dress shirt collar.''
The young boy was suspended for three days. But Mesquite schools
spokeswoman Dixie Parris declined to speculate on what would happen if
Itsa-Lichii's hair wasn't cut by that time.
``I hope it doesn't go that far. I hope the parents choose to comply
with the dress code by that time,'' she said.
But Gregory Gomez, the child's father, said his son's hairstyle won't
change.
``We have discussed it with him, and he doesn't want his hair cut,''
the father said.
``We are not withdrawing our son from school. If they choose to, they
will have to expel him.'' He said he doesn't know what his family would
do if Itsa-Lichii is expelled. He said litigation is a possibility.
Like his son, Gomez also wears a long braid.
The child's mother, Cathy Gomez said she informed Richard Havercamp,
the school principal, that the action against her son was wrong.
``I told him this is just not right. This is racist, this is
discrimination,'' she said.
John Horn, superintendent of Mesquite shools, said he understands the
mother's feelings but that making one exception would open the way for
others to challenge the policy.
Long hair is an integral pat of the cultural and religious beliefs of
traditional American Indians, said Barbara Ash, an administrative
assistant at the native American Rights Fund in Boulder, Colo.
``For many Native Americans, the only time they cut their hair is
when they're in mourning. It's not insignificnt,'' she said.
-- Chris Long, 265 Old York Rd., Bridgewater, NJ 08807-2618