Barbers Hill Independent School District, which Arnold’s high school is a part of, has a dress code. It dictates the usual things, such as the length of skirts and shorts, but with hair, it goes a step further. Though the district allows dreadlocks, male students’ hair cannot extend below the eyebrows or ear lobes, and must be kept shorter than the top of a T-shirt collar.
Arnold’s dreadlocks hit below his shoulders, though he puts them up in an effort to comply with the dress code, his mother Sandy Arnold told CNN. Throughout high school, it hasn’t been a problem. But just before the start of winter break in December, the district had some news for the Arnold family: Cut the locks or face the consequences. Arnold, 18, hasn’t been prohibited from attending school, the district said in a statement to CNN.
He has, however, been told he can’t walk at graduation if he continues to not follow the code. He’ll still be allowed to graduate, just barred from spending the moment with his family and friends.
