Jayden Henderson says Sacred Heart School forced him to cut his dreadlocks

A sixth-grader in the Bronx says his principal pulled him out of class to tell him that his short dreadlocks had to go.  Jayden Henderson's father, Thomas Henderson, says he's upset because the principal

News 12 Staff

Sep 26, 2014, 5:37 PM

Updated 3,591 days ago

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A sixth-grader in the Bronx says his principal pulled him out of class to tell him that his short dreadlocks had to go. 
Jayden Henderson's father, Thomas Henderson, says he's upset because the principal at Sacred Heart School in Highbridge didn't come to him first about the issue. Instead, he received a call from an aide after his 11-year-old was spoken to. 
In the student handbook, it says boys cannot have "twists" in their hair, but it does not mention dreadlocks. However, the principal argues that twists and dreadlocks are one in the same. 
Jayden says he was given a week to shave off his hair, but was so nervous that he starting taking out the locks himself immediately. His father adds that his son's hair was not a distraction to anyone's learning. 
A spokesperson for the Department of Education in the Archdiocese released a statement saying, "These regulations are part of the parent handbook in every Catholic elementary school, and, as a private school, parents agree to comply with the rules set forth as part of the admissions process." 


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