A Texas judge has ordered the trial to start next month about Darryl George, a Texas student suspended from school for his locs hairstyle.
According to CNN, the judge has set the date for February 22.
The Texas Student Is Currently Suspended From School
The Texas student faces months of disciplinary action because the Barbers Hill Independent School District officials claim his hairstyle violates their male student dress code.
The dress code lets students wear locs hairstyles but limits the length of their hair, which they shouldn’t wear in a style “that would allow the hair to extend below the top of a t-shirt collar, below the eyebrows, or below the ear lobes when let down.”
“Until he cuts [his] hair or we get [a] court ruling to the contrary, he will stay in ISS.” David Bloom, spokesperson for the district
But David Bloom added that George can still graduate.
But George’s suspension will not affect his ability to graduate.
“As far as graduation impact, there is none. A program is in place for him to complete his courses in dress-code ISS if he chooses not to trim his hair.”
But the Texas student won’t cut his locs, and his family stands by him.
They insist that his hairstyle should be maintained under the state’s Crown Act, which bans discrimination based on hairstyles “commonly associated with race.”
In September, George and his mom sued the district and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, claiming George’s suspicion violates the law.
The school responded by referring the Texas student to an alternative school program–and they insisted it wasn’t because of his hairstyle.
The school district then sent a notice to the Texas student’s family, citing alleged violations, including:
“Disruption of the ISS classroom, failure to comply with directives from staff/administration, violation of tardy policy and violation of the dress and grooming policy.”
Allie Booker, George’s attorney, believes the school district enforces the dress code selectively and hopes the trial will “seek justice for Black males at BHISD who have long been and are still being discriminated against.”
“Texas law mandates that there can be no implied meaning with interpreting statutes. The CROWN Act was meant to allow braids, locs or twists, which the district has always allowed. The law was never intended to allow unlimited student expression.”
