Step 1-

JJ, who had grown his hair into an afro, told his mother that he was bullied at school. It wasn’t the first time. He’s on the autism
spectrum, she said, but generally doesn’t let the bullying get to him. A gym teacher, though, offered to cut his hair and pulled clothes
from the lost and found. JJ said the teacher told him he’d look “fresh.”

“I put my trust into the school system,” she said. “I’m trusting you to take care of my kid, not chop off his hair. Now I have to rebuild
from ground zero, to give him some type of confidence. He doesn’t want to leave the house.”

A spokesperson for Lawrence Township Schools said the district and school takes the matter “extremely seriously” and immediately
investigated the incident once they were notified. The district said it was “unaware of allegations around a violation of religious
beliefs.”

“It is not uncommon for school personnel to go above and beyond to meet the needs of students outside of the classroom,” the
district said. “The staff member in question acted with the best of intentions to support the student.”

Battle described her son as “sunshine on a cloudy day.” He loved going to school, she said, and was excited about the
independence his new job would bring him.

It’s his senior year and final season with the wrestling team. Things were looking up. Now, she said, he wants to finish the school
year online.

“He’s already going through all these challenges already and you throw more in front of him?” she asked. “That’s so unfair.”

Battle said school officials have apologized but that isn’t good enough. She wants to make sure no one else’s child is made to feel
the way JJ feels right now, she said, and she’d like some compensation from the district, to cover the costs of fixing the bad hair cut
and the mental anguish this has caused him. She said the family is looking into their legal options.

She estimates it’ll take at least six months for his hair to grow back out to where it was.

“When I seen my son break down and cry in the car, I was done,” Battle said. "I never want my son to feel that way. The world
needs to change for him.”

Step 2-
Herron, A. (2021, September 22). Mom says Lawrence Central disrespected son,
violated religious beliefs with haircut. The Indianapolis Star.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2021/09/22/indianapolis-lawrence-central-
teacher-cuts-students-hair-mom-reacts/5813744001/

Step 3A-
Jonathan Battle-Hayum had his hair cut without permission by an unnamed teacher in
Lawrence Central High School and violated the family’s religious beliefs when they cut JJ’s hair,
facial hair, and eyebrows without JJ’s mom’s permission.
Step 3B-
Jonathan Battle-Hayum, a Lawrence Central High School senior, has been unable to get his
hair braided due to a disrespectful and religious violation by a teacher at his school. The teacher
cut his hair, facial hair, and eyebrows without his permission, violating his family's religious
beliefs. JJ, who has grown his hair into an afro, has been bullied at school and has grown his
hair into an afro. The district and school took the incident seriously and immediately investigated
it. The district was unaware of allegations around a violation of religious beliefs and stated that it
is not uncommon for school personnel to go above and beyond to meet the needs of students
outside of the classroom. The family is looking into legal options and estimates it will take at
least six months for his hair to grow back to where it was. Battle-Hayum wants to make sure no
other child feels the way JJ feels right now and seeks compensation from the district to cover
the costs of fixing the bad haircut and the mental anguish it has caused him.
Step 4- Conduct with Students and Remunerative Conduct
Step 5- I think their license should be suspended because they did not act accordingly and went
against the code of ethics
Step 6- I was shocked by this appalling disrespect to a student's personal religion and body.