Darryl George, 18, is a junior who has not attended any of his regular classes at his Houston-based high school since Aug. 31. For most of the new school year, George has either served in-school suspension at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu or spent time at an off-site disciplinary program.
The monthslong suspension has kept the black high school student from attending classes due to his refusal to change his hairstyle. George wears his long hair in tied and twisted locs atop his head in the protection of a new state law prohibiting race-based hair discrimination.
George's school district, Barbers Hill, found the student violated its policy limiting the length of boys' hair. The district filed a lawsuit arguing George's long hair violates the dress code policy because it would fall below his shirt collar, eyebrows, or earlobes when let down.
The school maintains its stance and has said other students with locs comply with the length policy without issue.
After just a few hours of testimony in Anahuac, state District Judge Chap Cain III ruled in favor of the school district, saying its ongoing discipline of George over the length of his hair is legal under the CROWN Act, reported The Associated Press.
Dozens of supporters filed into the Anahuac courtroom outside of Houston, where George and his mother, Darresha George, told reporters they were hopeful.
"We're going to get justice today," Darresha George said. "I'm nervous but I'm happy."
The CROWN Act
According to the AP, the CROWN Act, which took effect in September, prohibits race-based hair discrimination and bars employers and schools from penalizing people because of hair texture or protective hairstyles that include Afros, braids, locs, twists, or Bantu knots.
An attorney for the school district, Sara Leon, told Cain that the Barbers Hill dress code "is consistent with the CROWN Act" and that the policy "is race-neutral."
Allie Booker, Darryl George's attorney, presented two witnesses, mother, Darresha George, and Democratic state Rep. Ron Reynolds, one of the co-authors of the CROWN Act.
Reynolds testified that hair length was not specifically discussed when the CROWN Act was proposed, but "length was inferred with the very nature of the style."
"Anyone familiar with braids, locs, twists knows it requires a certain amount of length," Reynolds said.
The judge pressed Reynolds on the legislation, asking for exact details mentioning hair length. Reynolds explained that it is implied within the law.
It is "almost impossible for a person to comply with this (grooming) policy and wear that protective hairstyle," he said.
In court documents, the school district asserts its policy does not violate the CROWN Act because the law does not mention or cover hair length.
Hopeful his punishment would soon end and allow him to return to regular classes, George's family has filed a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency and a federal civil rights lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. The suit also includes the school district, alleging they failed to enforce the CROWN Act.
Not The First Time:
Barbers Hill's hair policy was also tested in a May 2020 federal lawsuit by two other students. Both withdrew from the high school, but one returned after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction, saying there was "a substantial likelihood" that the student's right to free speech and freedom from racial discrimination would be in violation if not allowed to return.
The lawsuit is still pending.
