In a decisive legal encounter, a Texas judge ruled Thursday that Barbers Hill Independent School District (ISD) was within its rights to discipline a student over the length of his dreadlocks, a case that has garnered attention in the ongoing struggle against hair-based racial discrimination. Darryl George, a junior at Barbers Hill High School in the Houston area, has faced months of in-school suspension due to locs that fall afoul of the school's dress code — a policy limiting the length of boys' hair that the district defended as non-discriminatory.
Despite challenges based on the CROWN Act, a Texas law designed to prevent discrimination on the basis of hair, state District Judge Chap Cain III found in favor of the district after brief testimony in Anahuac. As per KENS 5, "We appreciate the court giving clarity to the meaning of the CROWN Act," said Sara Leon, the district's attorney. Visibly disappointed, George, whose hair is worn in tied and twisted locs atop his head, said it was "just sad" that the school district was punishing him over his hairstyle, which he says connects him to his ancestry.
The school district, which did not present witnesses but submitted an affidavit from its superintendent, maintains that other students with locs have managed to comply with the existing dress code. In a previous report, ABC 13 noted an advertisement placed by Barbers Hill ISD Superintendent Greg Poole in the Houston Chronicle, defending the policy by associating "traditional dress code" with higher safety and academic performance.
Darryl's mother, Darresha George, expressed her desire simply for her son to "get the education he needs and not be discriminated because of his hair," in an interview with ABC 13. State Rep. Ron Reynolds, a CROWN Act co-author, criticized the school district's actions, asserting that these legal steps should have been taken before students, like Darryl, were subjected to such suspensions — the recent ruling, a stark reminder of the ongoing battle for cultural acceptance and a fair interpretation of the law.
