Last week, a seven-year-old second grader at Arrowhead Elementary School in Washington County was dismissed from class for wearing a traditional Native American Mohawk, a haircut found common among young boys of his family’s Seneca tribe.
The parents of the boy, Gary and Teyawnna Sanden, say they chose the Mohawk style haircut because it’s popular with Native American people in many places. Administrators said that their concern was that they considered the hairstyle to be distracting to other students. Before the student was able to return to class, administrators said they needed a letter from the Seneca Native American Tribe. The letter was to include verification that the boy’s haircut was of cultural significance. The letter was sent by the school to the New York-based Seneca Nation of Indians.
Seneca Nation Tribal Councilor William Canella wrote a letter to the Washington County School District superintendent.
“From past centuries to the modern era, Native boys have worn their hair in various lengths and styles to demonstrate their pride in their heritage,” Canella wrote. “It is common for Seneca boys to wear a Mohawk because after years of discrimination and oppression, they are proud to share who they are. It’s disappointing that your school does not view diversity in a positive manner, and it is our hope that Jakobe does not suffer from any discrimination by the school administration or faculty as a result of his hair cut.”
Rex Wilkey, the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education, released a press release stating that the hairstyle had been “determined by the school administration to possibly be in violation of the school district student grooming policy.”
The Washington County School District dress code has several stipulations for acceptable appearance but does not directly state the length of hair that is allowed.
Dress should be neat and appropriate for the school setting. Student dress should not be distracting or revealing.
Students are required to avoid any apparel that is so extreme that it interrupts the school order or adversely affects the educational process.
Hair including beards, mustaches and sideburns, should be groomed so that they are neat and clean. Hair color must be a naturally occurring color, i.e, red, black, brown or blonde.
School officials said the haircut fell under the category of being a distraction to the other students.
“The student was not sent home or suspended from school,” Wilkey said in the press release. “We are sorry for any misunderstanding or inconvenience this situation may have caused.”
Teyawnna Sanden is a member of the Kaibab Band of Paiute Native Americans and Gary Sanden is a member of the Seneca Nation of Native Americans. The couple currently lives in St. George. The Washington County area has several Indian reservations, including the Kaibab Paiutes near the Arizona-Utah border and the Shivwits Band of Paiutes that is located just outside of the City of Santa Clara.
The issue has since been resolved and the student has been permitted to return to class; however, Teyawnna Sanden has said she intends to take the issue to the school board in an attempt to resolve the ambiguities surrounding the dress code policy.
