In a recent federal court decision, a judge has denied the request from Darryl George, a 19-year-old Black student, for a temporary restraining order that would have allowed him to return to his high school in the Barbers Hill School District without fear of further punishment over his hairstyle. According to TPR, George was serving an in-school suspension during his junior year as the long hair he wears in locs atop his head was deemed a violation of the school's dress code policy.
The judge, U.S. District Jeffery Brown, ruled that George and his lawyers had to wait too long to seek such an order. This decision came after most of the student’s claims, filed in a federal lawsuit alleging racial and gender discrimination, were dismissed. Only the claim concerning gender discrimination was permitted to proceed. The timing of Brown's denial matched with an unfortunate coincidence—it was issued on George's birthday, on Friday.
George's attorney, Allie Booker, was not immediately available to comment, according to AP News. The school district, in defending its dress code policy, insists their guidelines are designed to "teach grooming and hygiene, instill discipline, prevent disruption, avoid safety hazards and teach respect for authority."
The federal lawsuit filed by George also alleged a violation of the CROWN Act, a Texas law effectuated in September 2023, which aims to prohibit discrimination based on hair texture or stylistic choices like Afros, braids, locs, or twists. However, in a separate legal challenge, a state judge has ruled that the school district's penalization of the student does not infringe upon the provisions of the CROWN Act.
Having transferred from Barbers Hill High School to another institution after what George's lawyer described as a nervous breakdown due to the threat of repeated punishment, the ruling left unclear whether George will attempt to reenroll in the original school following the legal setback. School district attorneys argued that George did not have the standing to request the restraining order since he was no longer a student in the district, a statement revealed in the court documents published this week.
