Leland charter school changes hair policy, but parents say that's not enough

After weeks of demanding change, parents and community members were disappointed Thursday when the Classical Charter Schools of America Board of Trustees opted to slightly change the wording of its grooming policy.

The board met in a special-called meeting Thursday afternoon to finally respond to the ongoing controversy sparked in February when staff at the school's Leland location told the parents of a first-grade student that he would have to cut his hair to comply with the school's grooming policy.

The student, Logan Lomboy -- a member of the Waccamaw Siouan tribe, one of eight state-recognized Native American tribes -- had been styling his long hair in a bun.

The charter school's grooming policy states "distracting, extreme, radical, or faddish haircuts, hair styles, and colors are not allowed." Ashley Lomboy, Logan's mother, said school administration told her a “manbun” is considered a faddish hairstyle. Another part of the policy stated boys hair, specifically, "must be neatly trimmed and off the collar, above the eyebrows, not below the top of the ears or eyebrows, and not an excessive height."

The 6-year-old's parents, as well as community members and the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, said the policy and demand were discriminatory and violated his religious freedoms. Ashley Lomboy said hair is an important part of their Native American heritage, holding religious and cultural significance.

On Thursday, the school's board of trustees voted to change the wording in part of the policy -- changing the word "trimmed" to "clean." While the change would seemingly allow a male student to wear their hair up and off their collar, it does not clarify if that "manbun" style would violate the policy's prohibition of "faddish haircuts."

"I'm glad that the school board decided to meet," Lomboy said following the meeting. "I think it was a step of acknowledging that there are some changes that need to be made but did not go far enough to make us feel welcomed at the school."

Lomboy said the last few months have been "completely draining."

"I wouldn't have thought that I would need to be fighting this hard to educate and to have my children and other children be included in a public school system," she said.

In March, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina sent a letter to the school's board of trustees, claiming the policy and its enforcement discriminates against Logan and other Native American students. The ACLU claims enforcing hair rules for boys that prohibit them from wearing hairstyles that are allowed for girls also constitutes sex discrimination.

Lomboy said she likely would not enroll Logan at the school for his second-grade year next fall.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Leland charter school changes controversial hair policy