In a recent development, Darryl George, an 18-year-old Black high school student in Texas, who had previously been suspended from Barbers Hill High School, was relocated to a disciplinary school program due to concerns regarding the length of his hair, as per a letter shared by his family, which originated from the school district.
This ordeal began when Darryl George, a high school junior, received an in-school suspension on August 31 from Barbers Hill High School, situated in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The suspension was imposed on the grounds that his hairstyle violated the school district’s dress code, which stipulates that male students’ hair must not “extend, at any time, below the eyebrows or below the earlobes.”
On October 11, a letter addressed to Darryl’s mother, Darresha George, was sent by the school district, which stated that “Your child has engaged in chronic or repeated disciplinary infractions that violate the district’s previously communicated standards of student conduct.” The letter listed several infractions, including classroom disruption, non-compliance with staff directives, tardiness policy violations, and violations of the district’s dress and grooming policy.
Darryl George sports locs, which he secures in a barrel roll. These locs, for him, serve as an “expression of cultural pride,” as highlighted in a federal lawsuit filed by the family last month against state leaders and the school district. When his locs are not pinned up or pulled back, they exceed the length allowed by the school district. According to Ms. George, school officials asserted that his hair still contravened the dress code, even when pinned up.
While the letter to Ms. George listed dress code violations among the infractions, the superintendent of Barbers Hill Independent School District, Greg Poole, stated in a subsequent release that Darryl’s placement in the disciplinary program was unrelated to his hair, without further clarification.
The lawsuit filed by the Georges alleges that state leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, failed to enforce a new state law called the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination against individuals based on hairstyles “commonly or historically associated with race.” Intriguingly, the CROWN Act came into effect just a day after Darryl’s suspension.
David Bloom, a district spokesman, had previously asserted that the school’s dress code was not in conflict with the new law.
The recent transfer of Darryl George to the Eagle Positive Intervention Center, a school designed for students with persistent behavioral issues, has ignited concerns. Activists, including Candice Matthews, a civil rights advocate acting as a spokeswoman for the George family, have voiced their discontent and suggested that Darryl’s expulsion may also be seen as retaliation for the family’s lawsuit. Matthews emphasized that Darryl’s concerns are rooted in his placement in a school designated for severe behavioral issues, while the family contends that it is a result of his hairstyle.
Rhetta Andrews Bowers, the author of the CROWN Act, expressed her criticism of the school district’s dress and grooming code, arguing that it was an attempt to circumvent the law and perpetuate hair discrimination.
