A Black high school student in Texas faced over a week of suspension because his loc hairstyle violated the district’s dress code, according to his mother. This incident could serve as a test of a new state law that prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles.
Darryl George, a junior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, received multiple disciplinary notices and was placed on in-school suspension for wearing his locs hairstyle in a ponytail, as reported by his mother, Darresha George, to CNN. This suspension coincided with the implementation of the state’s CROWN Act, a law designed to prevent discrimination based on hair texture or protective hairstyles like locs and braids.
Requests for comments from the school and the Barbers Hill Independent School District remained unanswered. However, a district spokesperson informed CNN affiliate KTRK that the school’s hair length rule did not conflict with the CROWN Act.
Darresha George expressed her son’s frustration, saying, “He’s very anxious and aggravated right now because he keeps getting punished for something that’s irrelevant to his education.” The George family has hired a lawyer and is contemplating legal action.
School officials informed George that his loc hairstyle violated the Barbers Hill Independent School District’s dress code, which states, “Male students‘ hair will not extend below the eyebrows or below the earlobes.” Furthermore, the policy specifies that “Male students‘ hair must not extend below the top of a t-shirt collar or be gathered or worn in a style that would allow the hair to extend below the top of a t-shirt collar, below the eyebrows, or below the earlobes when let down.” George received reprimands not only for his locs but also for wearing frayed jeans, which were also prohibited.
George was given the option to change his clothes but was required to cut his hair. When he refused to do so, he was placed on in-school suspension. On September 8, he received an additional five days of punishment because his hair was deemed too long when let down. If he does not cut his hair by the end of this week, he may face placement in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program, also known as an alternative school.
When George pointed out that the school’s policies appeared to be in violation of the CROWN Act, officials reportedly responded that the law did not apply to limitations on hair length. Darresha George’s primary goal is to see the school’s policy change and end discrimination against Black students. She also wants her son to be released from in-school suspension and hopes to prevent other children from experiencing a similar situation.
Allie Booker, an attorney representing the family, believes that the rules regarding male hairstyles unfairly target Black students. Locs, a hairstyle with roots in Africa, have become an integral part of Black culture. Critics argue that forcing children of color to cut their locs or discouraging protective hairstyles like braids or locs infringes upon their cultural identity.
The Texas Legislative Black Caucus has denounced the suspension and called for the removal of violations from George’s school record. They have also urged the school district to update its code to align with the new state law.
This is not the first time the school district has faced legal challenges regarding its hair policy. In 2020, a lawsuit was filed by Sandy Arnold, her son DeAndre, and fellow Barbers Hill Independent School District parent Cindy Bradford, claiming racial discrimination and violation of the students’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights due to the district’s grooming policies. Both DeAndre and another student with loc hairstyles had been asked to cut them to comply with the district’s hair length policy.
DeAndre Arnold was told that if he did not cut his locs, he would not be allowed to participate in his graduation ceremony. Instead of complying, he transferred to another school district. The district’s Superintendent, Greg Poole, at the time, defended the policy, asserting that it was in accordance with the law.
However, later that year, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction preventing the district from enforcing its hair-length policy against Cindy Bradford’s son. This case remains ongoing, represented by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
In May, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the state’s CROWN Act into law, which was met with approval by DeAndre Arnold. He expressed that the law’s passage was a “validating feeling,” as it ensures that such discrimination should not occur in the state of Texas. Numerous states have enacted versions of the CROWN Act, with California being the first in 2019. Nevertheless, national legislation for a CROWN Act has yet to succeed.
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