the school and the district became the focus of a prominent civil rights case in 1966 when three male students — paul jarvis, phil ferrell and steve webb — sued the district after they were ordered to cut their long hair in order to be admitted to school. the case was one of the first in which individuals sued a large urban school district to preserve their individual rights, and the cause was taken up by the american civil liberties union as well as local retail pioneer stanley marcus. marcus did not know the students, but saw their hairstyles as a fashion choice rather than a show of disregard for authority. the case was lost in the u.s. district court, and despite a series of appeals leading to the u.s. supreme court, it was not overturned. the decision is still cited in court cases over constitutional rights.