The family of a Black high school student in Texas on Saturday filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state’s governor and attorney general over his ongoing suspension by his school district for his hairstyle.
Darryl George, 17, a junior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, has been serving an in-school suspension since Aug. 31 at the Houston-area school. School officials say his dreadlocks fall below his eyebrows and ear lobes and violate the district’s dress code.
George’s mother, Darresha George, and the family’s attorney deny the teenager’s hairstyle violates the dress code, saying his hair is neatly tied in twisted dreadlocks on top of his head.
Good. I hope he gets rich and that it ends this sort of bullshit in Texas schools.
Besides, even if it violates the dress code they have, this shouldn’t be a part of the dress code to begin with. Who cares if somebody has some freaking dreads like get over it. Smh
I am baffled that the anglosphere has a dress code for schools in the first place. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anybody getting even talked to for what they wear in a public school here, and I’ve had teachers in the family for four decades.
Private schools sure, but those are for nepo babies and idiots.
Even private schools where I’m from are unlikely to have that kind of thing. They might have a uniform, but I’m not sure if dress codes are even allowed.
I suppose the exception would be if someone is wearing something that can be considered offensive. E.g. if they come to school in an SS uniform. That’d definitely cause a commotion. I’ve no idea how a hairstyle could be offensive unless someone shaved/shaped their hair into like a slur or something.
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Hair-based dress code rules are always bullshit. I used to go to a school that required boys’ hair to be above the ears, as well. I always thought it was stupid, so did my mom, so she let me grow my hair out and the worst they did was tell me I need to get a haircut.
It’s always stupid when these kids have to deal with this, but it’s especially stupid with this student because his hair looked awesome (if the photos we see are what they are upset about).
Yeah, if what I see in the articles and thumbnails are what he’s rockin’ then what the fuck is the problem?! He’s got a good thing going.
It’s about control. Racism and control.
I think it looks stupid as hell, but I don’t care ( but who cares what this old, obese, white dude thinks about some kids’ haircut). Further, that’s no reason to get suspended. Hell, I would have been suspended a whole bunch of times if my HS had a rule against stupid haircuts. I’d argue that HS is the time to be stupid about this shit.
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Abbott signs into law CROWN Act banning race-based hair discrimination
How’d they fool him into that? Does it have a line in it that bans topics that could make white kids uncomfortable or something?
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maybe he wants something in his pocket that he can bring up to say “see! i’m not racist!”. or maybe he thought it was a losing battle? (it would probably be extremely easy for a court to rule that a dreadlocks ban is unconstitutional)
according to this article, the law was introduced by a democrat and “sailed through both chambers of the Legislature with overwhelming support”. so that at least gives some support to the second hypothesis.
Isn’t the rule about hair not going past eyebrows or ear lobes? Every picture I’ve seen of this dude meets that requirement. I really don’t understand the reasoning behind the violation?
There is no reasoning. It’s just white conservatives triggered by black man.
*boy
The school’s reasoning is “well if he ever took them down he’d be in violation, so he’s in violation regardless”.
Yeah I think the reasoning is that they’re not allowed to have hair that, if let down, would be lower than their eyebrows/earlobes. You’re not allowed to have long hair and put it up. Very stupid.
Schools in the US can regulate students hairstyle?! Wtf?
Yay small government?
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What business does a school have telling students how to cut their hair? When I was in school (over 20 years ago), I had my hair long, short, colored, and everything in-between. Nobody gave a fuck.
Texas. They love the government all up in their business
Republicans. They love to tell the “others” how to live their lives. Remember, there always must be a enemy or persons to fight or oppress. No one is safe, no matter who you are your demographic is on the chopping block, their just busy attacking the most recent emancipated group. Today is trans people and women, tomorrow will be the rest of LGBTQ+, after that Irish and jew.
Skin color is probably a factor here. It was only a few years ago that a video was making the rounds of a teenage wrestler being forced to cut his dreads or forfeit a match, and pretty much every year at least a few stories make the rounds about black and native kids being told their hair style is inappropriate and they won’t be allowed to walk on stage at their graduation unless they cut it.
I agree that it’s quite likely racism is the problem in this instance. My point is that schools should under no circumstances be telling students how they need to wear their hair; apparently this school has a dress code that stipulates hear length. Schools exist to give students the knowledge they need to be successful once they reach the age of 18. They should not be policing how the students groom themselves or dress; that should be up to the parents. There should not be a “dress code” in the first place, outside of “don’t show up to school naked.”
What is an “in-school suspension?”
Like you sit in a corner staring at the wall from 8-3?
Basically. You can do homework or other busy work, but you can’t interact with peers or really do anything else.
* and they will give you busy work - write an essay, do some math, etc.
TIL thanks. Sounds grim.
The American schooling system is basically formulated to prep you for a 9-5 job by simulating miserable working conditions, general misery, and the ever present threat of violence in some form or fashion.
Not every state. This is Texas. I’m in California and my kid went to school with shoulder length hair that was half blue. My relatives in Texas kept asking what the school was doing about it. There’s nothing on the books about hair and the principal said it looked cool. Hair has always been a control issue in bible thumping communities, which I thankfully am no longer around.
i’ve never really understood why they get so uptight about hair color and dress codes in general. is it just to maintain uniformity and control because they’re scared of change?
i’m not that stylish and personally don’t like the look of hair that’s dyed a color that doesn’t “show up naturally” (for lack of a better term), but it’s just my own personal taste and i think it’s important people are able to look and dress how they want. i also don’t like sports jerseys, but wouldn’t go around trying to ban those.
but it seems like these people get offended when they see people dress a way they don’t like, and their gut reaction is to make rules forbidding it. why? it seems like a lot of work that ultimately makes everyone miserable, when it’s much less effort to just accept that people are different and move on.
Seems formulates to prepare you for jail…
Ding We got a winner!
The US are fucked up
Barber’s Hill should absolutely have a hair related dress code. And a red and white striped pole
