DALLAS, Texas - January 12, 2010 - Four-year-old Taylor Pugh can return to class without cutting his hair, if he’ll wear it in braids that don’t touch his collar, the Mesquite school board ruled Monday night.

But his parents immediately rejected the compromise, saying they would appeal to the state education commissioner in Austin.

“We just spent 30 minutes telling them why we couldn’t do that,” said Taylor’s father, Delton Pugh, referring to the school district’s demand that their son either braid or cut his hair.

His mother said it takes too long and when she tried the braids before, he cried because they hurt.

Superintendent Linda Henrie said if the boy goes to class today with a ponytail, as his parents said he would, he would again be sent to the library.

“We have no plans to withdraw him at this time,” said Henrie.

Taylor can return to class if his hair is braided close to his head, over his ears, and is not gathered in a bun on his neck.

Taylor, in pre-kindergarten at Floyd Elementary School, was separated from his classmates in November and has lessons in the library with an aide because his hair doesn’t meet the district dress code. It covers his ears and collar and often falls into his eyes.

He was at the meeting with his hair in a ponytail. His mother, Elizabeth Taylor, said he was spinning a quarter throughout the closed meeting with school board members.

Several parents spoke to the board before the ruling, complaining that their children had been pulled from class because of dress code issues. They talked with Pugh and his wife after they met with the school board in closed session.

The district also received national attention in the fall because of a dispute about a boy who wore in-fashion “skinny pants.”

Taylor’s case received international attention this month and had blog commenters debating the need for children to be taught to follow the rules vs. self-expression.

“Mesquite has been in the news too many times because of the dress code,” Yolanda Williams told the board during its regular meeting.

Other members of the Williams family recounted specific problems they had with code enforcement.

“Education is more important than keeping kids out of class because their pants are too tight around the calves,” said Joycelyn Williams, whose 13-year-old daughter, Taylah Woods, attends McDonald Middle School. Williams said her daughter missed a half-day of class while she argued with school administrators about the pants issue.

Two cousins also told the board their children had been pulled from class for several hours because of small items that they believe didn’t violate the dress code.

Other parents defended the code.

Lois Buford, who has two children in the district, said she appreciates the strict code.

“The hair policy in our district encourages our children to fit into mainstream society,” she said. “It keeps other students from being distracted by people trying to make a statement with their dress.”

After about an hour in closed session, the board formally voted not to grant an exemption for Taylor’s hair, but to offer him a modified exemption - to wear this hair in braids.

Pugh again said he thought the district was being unreasonable. “This isn’t Nazi Germany,” he said.

There have been several legal rulings allowing school districts to uphold dress codes, but there are still areas of dispute.

Board President Cary Tanamachi said the district must consider all 37,000 students and “to grant exemptions would be chaos.”

He said the board will probably look at the policy this summer.

“Right now we are happy with the dress code,” he said, “because it is so well-accepted.”