Johnson v. Cody-Kilgore Unified School District
Case Name:
Johnson v. Cody-Kilgore Unified School District
Case Status: Settled
Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska
Clinic Involvement: Counsel
About the Case:
In 2022, the Religious Freedom Clinic joined forces with the ACLU of Nebraska to protect the right of Native American children to abide by their Lakota religious beliefs.
Alice Johnson, Norma LeRoy, and their children are members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. In keeping with their Lakota beliefs, their hair is sacred to them and should be cut only in narrow circumstances prescribed by their religious tradition. These beliefs were violated, however, when an elementary school cut their children’s hair during a lice check, despite being on notice of the family beliefs.
Together with the ACLU, students in the Religious Freedom clinic represented the family in district court proceedings, ultimately negotiating a significant settlement on their behalf. In October 2023 the district court entered a consent decree and order concluding the lawsuit and outlining terms of reparation including money damages, Native American cultural training for school district staff, and policy changes that will prevent schools from cutting children’s hair without parental consent.
(Photo credit: Samantha Roubideaux)
