Native American Kindergartner Sent Home on First Day to Cut Hair
A Texas kindergartner was excited for his first day of school until he was sent home because his hair was too long.
Five-year-old Malachi Wilson is a member of the Navajo Nation, and according to his mother, not cutting their hair is part of their religion.
“Our hair is sacred to us; it makes us part of who we are,” April Wilson, Malachi’s mother, told a local CBS affiliate.
After the family contacted the Navajo Nation and provided sufficient paperwork stating Malachi was at least half Native American, the school reinstated him.
Ironically enough, F.J. Young Elementary’s mascot is the Seminole.
The school district says they were following guidelines stated in their student handbook and that once documentation was presented, the student was enrolled.
“It’s kind of heartbreaking because how do you explain to a five-year-old that he is being turned away because of what he believes in, because of his religion, because of what’s part of him; how do you explain that to him?” April said.
His mother is currently deciding whether to keep Malachi in the public school or pull him out to attend school elsewhere.
Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.