Darryl George.Photo:AP Photo/Michael Wyke
AP Photo/Michael Wyke
A Black student who has beensuspended multiple timesfrom his Texas high school over his locs has been suspended again, according to multiple reports.
Darryl George, 18, a student at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, was in class Tuesday when he was told he violated the school dress code policy for not cutting his hair and was again referred to in-school suspension,” Dr. Candice Matthews, a spokesperson for the George family, told PEOPLE in a statement.In a copy of a referral notice shared with PEOPLE, the school wrote: “Darryl’s hair is out of compliance with the BH dress code when let down. If Darryl corrects his dress code violation he will be allowed to return to his regular classes.” The notice added that Darryl will be serving his in-school suspension for 13 days.
“That’s all we can do,” she added. “We do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. But we are not giving up.”
In August, his family said Darryl was placed on in-school suspension because his twisted locs violated the school district’s dress and grooming code, per the AP. He was then suspended again in September for having the same hairstyle when he arrived at school.
That month, the family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, theAPandCNNreported. The suit alleged that Darryl’s suspension violates Texas' CROWN Act, which prohibits natural hair discrimination at work and schools and in housing policies.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The lawsuit accused Abbott and Paxton of failing to protect Darryl’s constitutional rights regarding discrimination as well as freedom of speech.
Allie Booker, the family’s attorney, alleged in the lawsuit that the teen “should be permitted to wear his hair in the manner in which he wears it … because the so-called neutral grooming policy has no close association with learning or safety and when applied, disproportionately impacts Black males.”
In September, David Bloom of the Barbers Hill Independent School District said in a statement to PEOPLE that Texas’ recent law “prohibits a dress or grooming policy that discriminates against ‘protective hairstyles.’"
“Further, 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," the statement continued. “Accordingly, protective hairstyles are permitted, but must still comply with the Dress and Grooming Code.”
Darresha George told CNN on Tuesday that Darryl’s suspensions were “frustrating” and “ridiculous,” expressing concern that the school’s actions are affecting his learning. “We’re trying to hang in there, get through the motions,” she said. “We’re not going to back down. I don’t care what tactics they try. We’re not backing down.”
Bloom did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
source: people.com
