Black student in Texas school suspended once more for refusing to alter his hair

Black student in Texas school suspended once more for refusing to alter his hair

A⁣ Texas ‌high school sent a ‍Black student back to in-school suspension Tuesday for refusing to change his hairstyle, ‌renewing a months-long standoff over a dress code policy the teen’s family calls discriminatory.

The student, Darryl George, was suspended for 13 days because his hair is out of compliance when let down, according to ​a disciplinary notice issued ⁣by Barbers Hill high school in Mont Belvieu, Texas. It was his first day ⁢back at the‍ school after spending a month at an off-site disciplinary⁣ program.

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George, 18, already⁢ has spent more than 80% of his junior year outside ⁢of his regular classroom.

He was first pulled from the classroom at the Houston-area school in August after school ⁢officials‌ said his braided‌ locs fell​ below his eyebrows and ear lobes and violated the‍ district’s dress⁢ code. His family argues the punishment violates the Crown Act,⁣ which became⁢ law in Texas⁢ in September and is intended​ to prohibit⁢ race-based hair discrimination. The⁢ school⁢ says the Crown Act does not address hair length.

George’s mother, Darresha George, and the family’s attorney deny that the​ teenager’s hairstyle violates the dress code, saying his ⁤hair is neatly tied in twisted dreadlocks on top ⁤of his head.

“We are ⁢just trying to take it day ⁤by day. That’s⁣ all we can do,”⁢ Darresha , told ⁣the Associated Press. “We do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. But we are not giving up.”

The ⁤dress code policy at ⁤Barbers Hill independent school‌ district attracted headlines ⁢in 2020 when a Black student was forbidden to return to school or attend his graduation ceremony unless ‌he⁤ cut his locs. Greg Poole, who has been ‌district superintendent since⁢ 2006, has said ‍the policy is legal​ and teaches students to conform as a ⁣sacrifice benefitting everyone.

School officials said 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. As he completed his‌ punishment⁤ there, district spokesperson David Bloom⁢ said George ​was told he would go back to in-person suspension ⁢unless he ⁢trimmed his‌ hair.

George’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.

George “should be permitted to wear his hair ⁢in the manner in which he wears it … because the so-called neutral grooming‌ policy has no close association with learning or safety and⁤ when applied, disproportionately impacts Black males”,⁢ Allie Booker, the family’s attorney, wrote in the lawsuit.

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…

2023-12-05 ⁣18:40:14
Original from www.theguardian.com
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