This past year, a black high school student in Texas sued a school district over what he called a racist hair policy. Now, a federal judge has denied an order allowing him to readmit the school after rejecting most of his claims.
Last August, Darryl George, a student at Barbers Hill High School in the Houston area, was suspended for a week because of the length of his hair. George often wears his hair tied up on top of his head. However, when his hair was untied, it was too long, and school administrators determined that he was in violation of the dress code.
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The dress code stipulates that “male students’ hair may under no circumstances be allowed to grow below the eyebrows or below the earlobes.” Male students may not wear their hair in a style that extends above and below the T-shirt collar, below the T-shirt collar, below the eyebrows, and below the earlobes. It won’t. When you’re disappointed. ”
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The purpose of the dress code is stated to be to “teach grooming and hygiene, instill discipline, prevent disorder, avoid safety hazards, and teach respect for authority.”
The day after George’s suspension, Texas passed the Crown Act, which prohibits discrimination against hairstyles or textures that are “generally or historically associated with race.”
George’s suspension lasted three weeks, and he filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school district for violating the CROWN Act and against Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton for failing to enforce the law. I woke you up.
More than a year later, the case is still working its way through the courts. Last month, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown rejected most of George’s claims, particularly those alleging racial discrimination. Brown allowed the sex discrimination claim to proceed because the school’s dress code does not provide a clear reason why female students are allowed long hair but male students are prohibited.
Lawyers say George suffered a nervous breakdown after spending his entire junior year on in-school suspension and away from classes in an off-campus disciplinary program. He then transferred to another high school. Nevertheless, George sought a restraining order temporarily prohibiting his former school from punishing him and allowing him to be readmitted.
“Judge Brown, please help me attend school like any other teenager while this case is pending,” he said in the affidavit, according to the Associated Press.
On Friday (which happened to coincide with George’s 19th birthday), Brown denied this request as well. He reasoned that the sex discrimination claim was likely to ultimately fail because the request was made too late.
In 2020, two other students filed a lawsuit against the school alleging racial discrimination in its hair policy. The lawsuit ended with one student transferring to another school, but the second lawsuit is still ongoing.
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