Family files lawsuit after Texas student suspended for hairstyle
A family of a Texas student has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit after his school suspended him for his hairstyle.
17-year-old Darryl George is currently serving an in-school suspension since August 31 for allegedly violating his school’s dress code. The school’s officials revealed that he broke the code from his dreadlocks falling below his eyebrows and ear lobes.
George’s mother, Darresha, has denied that her son violated any rules, considering he has twisted dreadlocks tied on the top of his head.
In response, some people have declared the suspension violated the state’s recently enacted CROWN Act.
Texas family denies teenager’s hairstyle violates dress code
As first reported by AP News, the lawsuit claims Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton failed to protect George’s constitutional rights regarding discrimination and freedom of speech and expression.
“George 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,” the family’s attorney Allie Booker wrote.
The family and their attorney also filed a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency. The complaint alleged that school district officials mistreated George based on his hairstyle.
It also claims that the school is forcing George to sit for eight hours on a stool. They also are allegedly preventing him from eating his free hot lunch. George’s mother revealed that she had been hospitalized for panic and anxiety attacks in response to her son’s suspension.
The state’s CROWN Act stands for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. This was enacted to prevent race-based hair discrimination and schools and employers from punishing people according to their hairstyles.
George’s school had told two Black male students to cut their dreadlocks in 2020. The two students’ families also sued the school district, a case which helped approve the CROWN Act.
