Like at this point it’s getting ridiculous. We’re talking about hair. Not inappropriate wording or images on his clothing. Hair. When can we just let the kid be?
On Tuesday, Texas high school student Darryl George was suspended (again) for 13 days after refusing to change his hairstyle which is out of compliance with his school district’s dress code. Specifically, he was given in-school suspension.
According to NBC News, Barbers Hill High School in Belvieu, Texas issued the disciplinary notice almost as soon as he returned to school after he spent the last month at a disciplinary school.
Although he’s a junior in high school (one of the most important years for a student), George has spent more than 80% of the school year outside of his regular classes due to multiple suspensions.
More from NBC News:
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.
The most insane part about this situation is that George was initially suspended the same week the CROWN ACT went into effect. Ironically, the passing of the law came from a situation at the same school in 2020, when a Black student was unable to go to school or attend his graduation unless he cut his locs.
In the time since he’s been suspended, George’s family has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the school district claiming that they have failed to enforce the CROWN Act, which was meant to protect students like George.
In response, the school district has filed a suit in a district court to get clarification on whether their dress code violates the CROWN Act, according to NBC News.
The worst part about all this is that a student who simply wants to go to school is having it ruined by a dress code that prohibits having hair go past his “ear lobe.” This is despite claims from George that other boys in his school have longer hair than him, but have not been disciplined once.