Texas Judge Rules School Code Doesn't Violate Hair Legislation

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Facts

  • A Texas judge Thursday ruled a high school didn't violate the state’s CROWN Act by disciplining a Black student who refused to cut his dreadlocks. An acronym for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” the CROWN Act prohibits race-based hair discrimination.1
  • Houston-area student Darryl George sued the Barbers Hill Independent School District after his school suspended him for not cutting his hair. The school’s handbook stipulates that male students cannot have their hair extend beyond their eyebrows or earlobes, or below their shirt’s top collar.2
  • George has been on in-school suspension or at an off-site disciplinary program since August, and he and his family said the punishment violates the CROWN Act, which was passed last September. The school district argues that the law doesn’t address hair length.3
  • Judge Chap Cain sided with the district, saying the CROWN Act doesn't protect hair length, only textures and styles. George will remain on in-school suspension, which he says has damaged his mental health.4
  • George and his family say they will appeal the decision. They have also filed a civil rights lawsuit against school officials and Texas state officials for failing to enforce the CROWN Act and inflicting emotional distress.5
  • The school district in September requested a judge clarify the CROWN Act’s relation to hair length, as it has faced previous lawsuits regarding its hairstyle policies.3

Sources: 1ABC News, 2CBS, 3NBC, 4The Texas Tribune and 5CNN.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Daily Beast. This ruling allows Texas schools to discriminate against students based on hairstyle — dealing a crushing blow to Black students who want to express themselves. Dreadlocks should be protected by the CROWN Act, but it's no surprise this school in a district with a history of racial discrimination doesn't see it that way. This ruling must be overturned.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Daily Caller. The George family is causing an unnecessary ruckus. The CROWN Act doesn't apply to hair length and the district's dress code is universally applied to students of all races. It's wrong to claim that the school is discriminating against George, and this ruling was the correct one.