Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Texas High School Suspends Student, Threatens Not To Let Him Walk In Graduation Unless He Cuts Off His Dreadlocks

Texas High School Suspends Student, Threatens Not To Let Him Walk In Graduation Unless He Cuts Off His Dreadlocks
KHOU 11/YouTube

For his graduation, an African American student was forced to choose between walking with the rest of his class or compromising his cultural identity.

De'Andre Arnold from Texas had been growing out his dreadlocks for the past eight years in the Trinidadian style and was told to cut them off by his school last month.


Now, the senior has been suspended and will not be allowed to walk in his graduation unless he cuts his dreadlocks off.

Family members and supporters of Arnold gathered at the Barbers Hill Independent School District headquarters on Martin Luther King Day during a school board meeting and argued over the outdated dress code.

The board meetings have not had more than two speakers in their history.

That changed on Monday night when sixteen people showed up to speak out against the "racially insensitive" dress code affecting Arnold.

Arnold's father, who attended the charged meeting, said it was a "Black and White issue," and a supporter echoed his sentiment by adding:

"This dress code was designed by White people for White people that is damaging to Black bodies."

You can watch the video of the KHOU 11 report here.

A Barbers Hill ISD board member denied the controversy was a racial issue and said there was no policy against cornrows or "any method of the wearing of the hair."

He also emphasized that the more than 30-year old policy limits the length of one's hair, not the cultural style.

Twitter called out the antiquated policy.




The district – which prides itself on excellence – says the dreadlocks are in violation of its dress code according to this written stipulation.

"Male students' hair will not extend, at any time, below the eyebrows or below the ear lobes. Male students' hair must not extend below the top of a t-shirt collar or be gathered or worn in a style that would allow the hair to extend below the top of a t-shirt collar, below the eyebrows, or below the ear lobes when let down."

A handful agreed with the district and asked not to make any exceptions while a good majority rejected the alleged racist policy.


People asked why the district would wait until three months before graduation to enforce the dress code.


Arnold's father proposed an ultimatum:

"They have 48 hours to come up with a resolution."
"If not, we're going to take this to court, because they're in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that pertains to discriminating against somebody in regards to their religion."

People in support of Arnold on social media told him not to give in to the bullying by the school district and said that the style of his hair should not get in the way of his future.





Barbers Hill ISD issued the following statement on Tuesday.

"Barbers Hill ISD has a long standing dress code, but we absolutely allow dreadlocks."
"What we do not allow is any action that circumvents or violates the provision regarding hair length."
"The student in question was NEVER forbidden from attending school."
"The U.S. Constitution allows a school board the right to implement local community expectations, and Barbers Hill ISD's continual academic and extra-curricular successes are a direct result of our communities' high expectations."

More from Trending

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less