3rd Grader Kicked Out of School for having Braids

Walter Hubbard says keeping his son's hair in braids is a matter of principle. But the principal at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy says otherwise. And in the meantime, 9-year-old third-grader Antwuan Hubbard isn't going to school at all. "He wore his hair in braids all last year, but now they say it's a distraction. He can wear his hair in a pony tail or an Afro, but not braids. I don't understand the logic," Walter Hubbard said Tuesday. The battle began Friday, when the charter school left a message at Hubbard's home, telling them Antwuan needed to remove his braids. A student handbook distributed during registration last month did not include a prohibition on braided hair for boys, but it is listed in an amended version dated Tuesday. [more ]