Texas judge rules school district legally punishes black student who wouldn't cut seats

A Texas judge ruled Thursday that a Houston-area school district legally punished 18-year-old student Darryl George, who was suspended multiple times for wearing his hair.

Administrators at Berber Hill High School in Mont Belvieu removed George from class on Aug. 31, citing a dress code that restricts boys' hair length, and have had him serve either in-school suspension or participate in an off-campus disciplinary program ever since. .

George's legal team said punishing the student for his hair length was a violation of the CROWN Act — or Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — which prohibits racial hair discrimination in schools and businesses. However, the district argued that the suspension was due to a violation of school policy and that the CROWN Act “says nothing about hair length.”

“The point is simple: we have a lot of students who wear hair clips and comply with the male hair length policy,” said David Bloom, Barber Hill ISD Director of Communications. Rolling rock in January. “We have ONE that does not.”

“I started my dreads for one reason, and that's just to feel close to my people … to feel my ancestors,” George told reporters before the hearing. “It just makes me feel angry, very angry … that all these years, in all the fighting for Black History that we've done, that we still have to do this again and again and again. It is ridiculous.”

A hearing was scheduled for Thursday on the issue, with one of the co-authors of the CROWN Act, state Rep. Ron Reynolds, testifying for George's side, saying he “went to lengths” when drafting the bill.

Nevertheless, the judge found that the school district legally punished George for not complying with the school's hair length and dress code policy and that the district did not violate the CROWN Act, The Associated Press References.

“All I want to do is go to school and be a model student,” George wrote in an affidavit before the hearing. “I am being harassed by school officials and treated like a dog.”

“His roots represent his roots, represent his soul, his ancestors, his heritage,” said Daryl's mother, Daressa George. Rolling rock last year. “It's his culture. Not only does he have his hair in his hair, but he also has the hair of his ancestors woven into the ends of his hair. Cutting it off, then, cuts them out of his life. And that's not fair to ask someone to do.”