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Deandre told DeGeneres he wants to go to college and become a veterinarian because \"I've always loved animals, everything about animals … their sense of loyalty, their companionship, you can't get that anywhere else.\"

In a surprise move, DeGeneres, who also made a plea for the school to change its policy, brought singer Alicia Keys onstage.

\"I am super proud of you for standing up for what you know is right,\" Keys told the teen.

She then presented him a $20,000 check to be applied to college from Shutterfly because \"you're a special person and you're destined for such greatness.\"

\"PHOTO:
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
PHOTO: Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres presents a scholarship check to DeAndre Arnold, who made national news after his school told him he couldn’t walk at graduation unless he cut his dreadlocks, Jan. 29, 2020, on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
>

Deandre's mother, Sandy Arnold, told ABC News that in December, the school told her Deandre's hair has to be in dress code.

\"The only way it could be in dress code, I would have to cut it,\" she said -- the issue being the length of the dreadlocks.

Until he cuts his hair, Deandre was given the option of an in-school suspension (ISS), which typically means the student is removed from the classroom but remains on campus to continue schoolwork or attends an alternative school, his mother said. Either option would allow Deandre to graduate in a few months, but he wouldn't be able to walk with his peers during graduation, Arnold said.

Deandre has been home from school for weeks now as Sandy said it isn't fair that he go to ISS when he did nothing wrong.

Deandre's cousin, 16-year-old Kaden Bradford, attends the same school and has been told he cannot return to school unless he cuts his dreadlocks as well, his mother, Cindy Bradford, told ABC News.

\"PHOTO:
Courtesy Cindy Bradford
PHOTO: Kaden Bradford, 16, pictured here, was told he could not return to school, Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, unless he cuts his dreadlock, his mother Cindy Bradford, told ABC News.
>

Many across social media lent their support to Deandre and voiced their criticism of the school's dress code.

\"PHOTO:
Sandy Arnold
PHOTO: Deandre Arnold seen here in this undated file photo is a senior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas.
>

For many black Twitter users, the school policy was not just about hair length but what they felt was discriminatory practice against natural black hair.

Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee of Texas wrote a series of tweets condemning the school's policy: \"As a senior member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, I am appalled to hear that #DeAndreArnold, a senior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, is being prevented from attending classes, walking in his high school graduation ceremony due to a racially-biased dress code mandate.\"

As a senior member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, I am appalled to hear that #DeAndreArnold, a senior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, is being prevented from attending classes, walking in his high school graduation ceremony due to a racially-biased...

— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) January 24, 2020

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins also tweeted his support for the high schooler, saying, \"Never cut your locks Deandre Arnold.\"

Never cut your locks Deandre Arnold.

— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) January 22, 2020

In response to the backlash, the school's superintendent, Greg Poole, tweeted about the academic success of its black students.

\"[Barbers Hills] has received scrutiny regarding our high level of expectations on all things & dress code. Yet our African American students beat the state average on passing STAR by 22% & our overall passing scores are the highest in the state. Sounds like high expectations work!\" the tweet read.

BH has received scrutiny regarding our high level of expectations on all things & dress code. Yet our African American students beat the state average on passing STAR by 22% & our overall passing scores are the highest in the state.
Sounds like high expectations work!

— BarbersHillSUPT (@BarbersHillSoup) January 23, 2020

Many pushed back on that tweet calling it tone deaf, and some perceived it as biased.

Deandre's locks do not reflect “lowness” or a deviation from what should be a “high expectation” at a school trying to reflect the Beloved Community.

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 23, 2020

Bernice King, the daughter of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., tweeted in response, \"Deandre's locks do not reflect 'lowness' or a deviation from what should be a 'high expectation' at a school trying to reflect the Beloved Community.\"

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