Story at a glance
- Newt Johnson decided to grow his hair out for his 11-year-old sister, who underwent chemotherapy after being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease.
- The school says they tried to reach a resolution with Newt and his parents.
- The 16-year-old withdrew from the school and is being homeschooled.
A Texas high school student growing his hair long enough to make a wig for his younger sister who underwent chemotherapy said he was threatened with suspension over the length of his hair, and ultimately withdrew from his high school.
Alan Johnson told NBC News his 11-year-old daughter Maggie was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in October. She received chemotherapy as part of her treatment and lost some of her hair.
That prompted her 16-year-old brother, Newt Johnson, to take matters into his own hands and grow out his own hair to make a wig for her.
But Alan Johnson said his son hit a snag when he was notified by his school principal at Poth High School last month he would have to cut his hair, which had grown about four to six inches, by the time he returned from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. The school’s student student handbook says male students cannot wear their hair beyond the ear opening on the sides nor beyond the top of a dress shirt collar in the back.
The 16-year-old returned to school without a haircut and his parents were called and told they had to pick up their son and he could return once he got a haircut.
School officials say the family chose not to challenge the school policy, saying in a statement last week that “integrity and board approved policies are being maligned and twisted on social media.”
“There was an avenue and process to seek resolution to the issue that the parent chose not to take, thereby negating the opportunity for a different resolution,” the statement signed by Superintendent Paula Renken said.
Renken told CNN that the incident was “never about not supporting a sick child.”
The superintendent said the principal performed his duties as expected under the policies in place, and noted that the school district raised more than $3,000 for the Johnson family.
Alan Johnson claims the family was never offered a conversation with the superintendent. Newt Johnson was withdrawn from the school after he was reported to a truancy officer, and is now being home-schooled.
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