Farouk James is a 12-year-old boy who has never had his hair cut, reportedly suffering from “tonsurephobia,” an uncontrollable fear of haircuts. Now, his waist-long mane may cause him to be expelled from school. Farouk’s family has sent the school notes from his doctor, explaining that he suffers from the disorder, but the school has so far chosen to ignore them and enforce its rule. Farouk’s mother Bonnie said that her son has tried going to school with braids in order to comply with the rule, but that has been deemed unacceptable because “interweaving” is forbidden as well. So far, Farouk has been given a 30-minute detention, a 1-hour detention, and most recently a 2-hour detention. Detention, of course eventually leads to suspension and expulsion. Bonnie said she knew of the school’s rule before enrolling her son there but was under the impression that he would be given a medical exemption. The school, however, does not recognize tonsurephobia as being a legitimate phobia. Farouk is just about to begin psychotherapy to overcome the phobia, but the school is standing firm that he cannot return to school without a haircut.
