A Black high school student in Texas named Darryl George, 18, faced severe punishment for most of his junior year due to his hairstyle. After being put on in-school suspension, George has decided to leave the Barbers Hill school district in order to avoid spending another year under such circumstances. However, he desires to return to his Houston-area high school for his senior year and has sought legal intervention to prevent further punishment for his hair length. George and his mother filed a federal lawsuit alleging racial and gender discrimination by school officials for enforcing the dress code that led to his punishment.
In August, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown dismissed most of the claims made by George and his mother in the lawsuit, except for the gender discrimination claim. Judge Brown questioned the effectiveness and impact of the school district’s hair length rule, prompting George to appeal for a temporary restraining order to enable his return to school while the lawsuit continues. An upcoming court hearing on October 3 in Galveston will address George’s request for the restraining order.
Attorneys representing the school district have contended that the judge lacks jurisdiction to issue the restraining order since George is no longer a student in the district. Despite George’s withdrawal from Barbers Hill High School, his legal team argues that he experienced emotional distress, leading to a nervous breakdown, which forced him to switch to another school district in Houston. George’s departure was characterized as a matter of survival rather than choice, as his mother had specifically chosen to reside in the area for the quality of the schools.
Throughout the 2023-24 school year, George was either on in-school suspension or at an off-site disciplinary program due to the alleged violation of the dress code with his tied and twisted locs hairstyle. The school district contended that George’s hair length contravened the policy as it extended beyond specific limits if left untied. The district cited compliance among other students with locs to support the policy’s enforcement.
George’s federal lawsuit also invoked the CROWN Act, a state law enacted in September 2023 to prohibit race-based discrimination related to hair texture or protective hairstyles. Despite the CROWN Act being in effect, a state judge ruled in February favoring the school district in a lawsuit challenging George’s punishment for hair violations. Previously, in May 2020, another federal lawsuit contested Barbers Hill’s hair policy, resulting in a temporary injunction that allowed a student to return to school following concerns of free speech and racial discrimination violations.
Darryl George seeks legal resolution to resume his education without facing discriminatory consequences for his hair, as he remains determined to return to his original high school to complete his senior year and uphold his right to express his cultural identity freely.