JOSHUA, Texas — Habib Dwabe's long hair has a long history.
The fifth grader from Joshua has black curls that extend past his shoulders, and for two years, his family has been in a fight with his school district over their hair policy.
"For boys, they are not allowed to have hair past the eyebrows or touching the collar," his mother Faye Abunijmeh said.
Abunijmeh said Habib, 11, decided to grow his hair out two years ago to donate to cancer patients. But the district refused to change their rule, so ever since he has been pinning his hair up before going to school. He wakes up 45 minutes early, so his aunt can put his locks in a french braid.
"And then pin it up with about 40, 50 bobby pins, give or take," Abunijmeh said.
The family said if he doesn't pin it up, Habib faces in-school suspension when he arrives on campus.
They still disagree with the policy, but Abunijmeh is frustrated because she believes that her son is being singled out. She said the policy is supposed to be district-wide from kindergarten through 12th grade, but she believes it isn't being enforced for other older kids.
She shared images from Facebook she said show male Joshua ISD students who wear their hair longer than is supposed to be permissible. She pointed to boys who appear to be on sports teams or who were attending prom, some with shaggy, shoulder-length hair.
"I mean, a rule is a rule, correct?" Abunijmeh said. "Habib has to comply. So should they."
She said they also saw boys graduating at a recent Joshua ISD high school ceremony who were wearing long hair out of code. As a result, Habib tried to go to school for his own fifth-grade ceremony the next day with his hair down, but they said he was turned back by administrators.
Abunijmeh said she sent the photographs and information to the district, who told her that the policy was being enforced fairly.
WFAA contacted Joshua ISD administrators by phone and email this afternoon, but the district has not yet responded to our questions about the policy.
Abuniijmeh is now speaking out publicly, hoping that the district may reconsider.
"Let's just change the code. Because if you can't administer the code everyday like you do to my son, just get rid of it," said Abunijmeh. "There's no basis for it."