Texas school disciplines Black student over hairstyle – again

Darryl George, 18, has been suspended from a Texas high school for a third time after refusing to cut his hair

A Black teenager who was suspended from a Texas high school for his loc hairstyle in September has been given another in-school suspension.

Darryl George, 18, was first suspended from Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, in August after school officials said his braided locs fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes and violated the district’s dress code. He was suspended again in September.

He was suspended for a third time on Tuesday – his first day back at the school after spending a month at an off-site disciplinary programme – for 13 days.

School officials said Mr George was sent to the disciplinary program for violating the dress code and the tardy policy, disrupting the in-school suspension classroom and not complying with school directives.

A disciplinary notice issued by the school said Mr George was suspended on Tuesday because his hair was out of compliance when let down.

A Black teenager who was suspended from a Texas high school for his loc hairstyle in September has been given another in-school suspension (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A district spokesperson said the teenager had been told he would go back to in-person suspension after returning from the disciplinary programme unless he trimmed his hair.

The school district’s dress and grooming code states that male student’s hair should not extend below their eyebrows, ear lobes or the top of their t-shirt collar.

Mr George has repeatedly refused to cut his hair, leading to several reprimands.

But the 18-year-old’s family has argued that the punishment violates the CROWN Act, which became law in Texas in September, and bans race-based hair discrimination in workplaces and schools.

However, the school district spokesperson has previously insisted that the dress and grooming code is not in conflict with the CROWN Act because the legislation does not address hair length.

Mr Goerge’s family has filed a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency and a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state’s governor and attorney general along with the school district, alleging they failed to enforce the new law outlawing discrimination based on hairstyles.

Meanwhile, the school district has filed a lawsuit in state district court asking a judge to clarify whether its dress code restrictions limiting student hair length for boys violate the CROWN Act.

Darryl George and his mother Darresha George (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

In 2020, Barbers Hill student De’Andre Arnold sued the district after he was ordered to cut his locs in order to be able to finish his education and attend graduation.

The lawsuit led to legislation being passed in Texas enshrining the rights of students to wear their hair without discrimination.

Democratic state Rep Ron Reynolds, who is also chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, told the Associated Press the school is “acting in bad faith to continue discriminating against African American students.” He added that he plans to file an amendment to the law during the next session that “specifically addresses length to stop their pretextual argument to not comply with the Crown Act.”

Locs, sometimes referred to as dreadlocks, can be worn in braided, coiled, twisted or palm-rolled styles.

The Independent has contacted Barbers Hill school district for comment.