BD. OF TRUSTEES OF BASTROP INDEPENDENT SCH. DIST. v. Toungate

Eight-year-old Zachariah Toungate was severely punished for breaking a school district rule that violated state law. The school district argues essentially that rules are rules, and they must be obeyed. September Toun-gate, Zachariah’s mother, contends that school rules must be reasonable and conform to the laws of the state. Both parties are now before this Court, and the Court holds that the relevant state statute does not apply to school district hair-length policies. I dissent.

I

In 1989, first-grade student Zachariah Toungate began growing a small “tail” of hair on the back of his head. He…