Barbers Hill student suspended over locs
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
A Barbers Hill High School student has been suspended for more than a week over his hairstyle, despite the Texas CROWN Act taking effect earlier this month.
Driving the news: High school junior Darryl George, who is Black, has received multiple suspensions over his locs since the beginning of the school year.
Catch up quick: The new law, which went into effect Sept. 1, bans race-based hair discrimination across several disciplines, including in public schools.
- Barbers Hill ISD is the district that sparked the push for the CROWN Act after officials gave another student, DeAndre Arnold, an in-school suspension and barred him from attending his graduation ceremony in 2020 over his locs.
What they're saying: Some state lawmakers who authored the bill blasted the district's move, including Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City.
- "Without remedial action from you, this unacceptable situation will continue a dangerous precedent against students who may face undue disciplinary actions despite codified protections passed by state lawmakers," Reynolds wrote in a letter to Barbers Hill ISD, per CNN.
The other side: The district's dress code regarding hair "is not in conflict with the CROWN Act," the district tells Axios.
- The district's dress code states that "male students' hair will not extend, at any time, below the eyebrows or below the ear lobes. Male students' hair must not extend below the top of a t-shirt collar or be gathered or worn 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."
- Officials declined to comment on the suspension itself, citing federal law prohibiting the disclosure of disciplinary matters involving a student.
What's next: The move by the district could bring up legal challenges.
- George's family has retained an attorney, per KHOU.