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Another Black Teen At Texas High School Ordered To Cut His Locs

Kaden Bradford was reportedly told he could not return to class.

A second teenager at a Texas high school has reportedly been suspended and given the ultimatum that he can’t return to class until he cuts his locs.

Kaden Bradford, 16, is a sophomore at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu and has been on suspension since last week, according to his mother, Cindy Bradford.

Kaden is the cousin of DeAndre Arnold, a senior at the school who we previously reported was given the same ultimatum and even informed that he would not be able to graduate until he cuts his locs in compliance with the school’s dress code.

DeAndre’s father, who is from Trinidad, said men in his family often grow locs because it’s part of his identity and culture. Both mothers of the boys have refused to cut their son’s hair.

RELATED: Texas Teenager Told He Has To Cut His Locs To Graduate From High School

Bradford said in a Friday interview (January 24) that like DeAndre, her son wore locs for years in school and it only recently became an issue. Last year, Kaden wore a headband to keep his locs off of his shoulders. However, his mother said the school told her that if Kaden kept his locs pulled back, he would not be in violation of its dress code.

According to Bradford, that all changed after the holiday break and claims the school’s principal, Rick Kana, told Kaden that he would need to cut his hair. The mother said she even had Kaden’s locs tightly braided so that they would lay flat against his scalp. Apparently, that wasn’t good enough for school administrators.

Barbers Hill High is a predominantly white school, according to district data, and in a statement posted on its Twitter account, the district said it does allow locs, "however we DO have a community supported hair length policy & have had for decades," the tweet read. "BH is a State leader with high expectations in ALL areas!"

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has announced legislation that would ban hair-based discrimination last month and tweeted in support of both DeAndre and Kaden.

"Natural hair like dreadlocks is a reflection of culture & heritage," he tweeted. "No one should be punished for expressing who they are. The CROWN Act would end this—hair discrimination is discrimination against black people."

DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans, who also rocks locs, also tweeted in solidarity of the young men. “Never cut your locks Deandre Arnold,” he wrote.

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