A.A. v. Needville Indep. Sch. Dist.

Navajo Boy Sent Home for Having Long Hair on First Day of School

Kate Fort1 Comment

Here is one of many articles.

And here is what the Fifth Circuit has already said about such nonsense regarding the treatment of another 5-year-old in Texas:

A Native American boy and his parents challenge a school district’s requirement that he wear his long hair in a bun on top of his head or in a braid tucked into his shirt. We agree with the district court that the requirement offends a sincere religious belief and hold it invalid under Texas law.

And as @NativeApprops pointed out, one might also check out the name of the district and the mascot where this happened.

A.A. v. Needville School District — Fifth Circuit Strikes Down School’s Long-Hair Policy

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Incredible opinion: Arocha Opinion July 9, 2010.

Here are the materials.

ACLU Press Release on A.A. v. Needville School District

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here — ACLU of TX Needville Appeal

You can access all of the briefs at the Supreme Court Project website.

Op-Ed on A.A. v. Needville Case re: Indian Student Religious Freedom

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

From the Seattle Examiner:

A Native American boy is fighting a Texas school district for the right to keep his long hair. A small rural school district in Fort Bend County Texas wants to force Adriel Arocha to cut his hair in compliance with the terms of the school district’s dress code.

Hence, the Needville school district and a determined mother are tangled in a dispute over hair. Michelle Betenbaugh says her son, Adriel Arocha, wears his hair long because of religious beliefs tied to his Native American heritage. The dispute began last summer, when Kenney Arocha and Michelle Betenbaugh informed Needville ISD officials of their plans to move from Stafford and have their son, Adriel Arocha, attend kindergarten in the district.

Made aware of the couple’s and the boy’s views on the practice by some Native American men of wearing their hair long, school officials told Adriel’s parents he would have to cut his hair according to terms in Needville ISD’s dress code. The parents refused, and a drawn out court battle followed.

Continue reading →

A.A. v. Needville Materials Update

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

We filed a short amicus brief in A.A. v. Needville Indep. Sch. District before the Fifth Circuit (Needville-Historian Amicus Brief) on behalf of Drs. Suzanne Cross and K. Tsianina Lomawaima. The Lipan Apache Tribe also filed an amicus brief (Lipan Apache 5th Cir Amicus 2009).

The ACLU of Texas is lead counsel in this case, a challenge to a Texas public school’s decision to suspend a kindergarden student because he refused to cut his long hair. He is a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe. The family was successful before the district court, but the school district appealed.

Other materials:

Arocha DCT Order

Appellees Brief

Appellants Brief

Amicus Brief in American Indian Religious Freedom Case

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

We filed a short amicus brief in A.A. v. Needville Indep. Sch. District before the Fifth Circuit (Needville-Historian Amicus Brief) on behalf of Drs. Suzanne Cross and K. Tsianina Lomawaima.

The ACLU of Texas is lead counsel in this case, a challenge to a Texas public school’s decision to suspend a kindergarden student because he refused to cut his long hair. He is a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe. The family was successful before the district court, but the school district appealed.

Other materials:

Arocha DCT Order

Appellees Brief

2009.04.27 Appellants Brief