A federal judge ruled yesterday in Scranton a school can regulate the length of a student’s hair because hair length falls under the classification of personal liberty governed by the “due process” clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. Judge William J. Nealon upheld action by Blue Ridge High School, New Milford, which suspended Jerald Gere, 15, who refused to shorten his shoulder-length hair.

The judge said the school’s dress code is a “bona fide attempt to preserve order and to maintain a balance between individual students’ rights and the rights of the whole,” opining that a student’s liberty may be regulated by schools.