Student Suspended Over Hair Sues Texas Leaders Citing CROWN Act

Signed this year, the CROWN Act is meant to outlaw discrimination on the basis of hair for schooling, employment and housing in Texas. The law took effect Sept. 1, but has already hit a bump in the road.

A Texas teen in Mont Belvieu, 33 miles east of Houston, continues to be punished for wearing his hair in twisted dreadlocks. According to NBC 5, a Black student at Barbers Hill High School named Darryl George was suspended from school the same week the CROWN Act went into effect. The school said because his dreadlocks fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes it was a violation of the dress code. George later received in-school suspension a second time for wearing his hair in twisted dreadlocks.

CROWN is an acronym for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

The Barber Hills Independent School District dress code is very particular in many ways, yet subjective when it comes to hair. It says that hair must be neat, clean and well groomed. Geometric or unusual patterns, including Mohawks, shaved heads or a cut in the hair, are not permitted. Designs beyond a single straight direction that draw attention are also not permitted under the district’s dress code. Boys can’t wear ponytails or any hair accessories deemed inappropriate. Boys also can’t have hair that extends below the eyebrows, earlobes or the top of a T-shirt collar.

While some North Texas school districts are less strict when it comes to hair, many use similarly open-ended language.

Plano Independent School District’s dress code, for example, says clothing, hairstyles and accessories must meet reasonable, school-appropriate standards that support a safe school environment. “Any form of dress or grooming that attracts undue attention, is unsafe, disrupts school, is considered gang related, or detracts from the learning process is not acceptable,” the district’s dress code says.

Garland Independent School District’s dress code says hair, including facial hair, "must be clean, groomed, and by the nature of the style does not intend to create a distraction." It also says hair must be kept out of the eyes. Since George’s dreadlocks were reportedly tied up on top of his head, he might've had better luck in the Garland ISD as opposed to his current district.

Irving Independent School District says hair must be neatly groomed, and no unnatural hair styles may be displayed. Symbols and “gang-style” haircuts are also prohibited if they interfere with the educational environment as determined by the campus administration. Irving ISD's making it a point to specify "unnatural hair styles" in this case is significant to the new law. 

“Natural hair and natural hair styles will not be discriminated against or penalized in any way.” – Dallas Independent School District dress code

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In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, the dress code says hair by color or design may not create a distraction to the learning environment.

While the Richardson Independent School District policy doesn’t include specific restrictions on hairstyles, it does say that principals can determine whether a student’s dress or grooming violates the school’s dress code. In the event that a principal makes such a determination, the student will typically be given the opportunity to correct the problem at school when possible.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Richardson ISD told the Observer that prior to the implementation of the CROWN Act in Texas, district students and employees regularly wore hairstyles that celebrated their natural hair textures and protective styles. “The new law is consistent with existing practices,” the district spokesperson said. “Changes to district policies have not been necessary as RISD’s policies do not include discriminatory practices based on hair texture or protective hairstyles that are commonly or historically associated with race.”

Dallas Independent School District’s policy is clear-cut: “Natural hair and natural hair styles will not be discriminated against or penalized in any way.”

Robyn Harris, a spokesperson for the district, said the district policy on hair has been pretty broad for some years. “Part of our board’s understanding is that we serve a very broad community here in Dallas ISD, from students all the way to our teachers,” she said. “We know that oftentimes, students that are in the arts for example and other things, their hair is a form of expression. So, we’ve not limited in recent times what hairstyles you can or cannot wear.”

No Texan should be discriminated against based on their natural hair.

Proud to sign the CROWN Act into law today to prohibit discrimination based on textures & hairstyles historically associated with race.

I thank Rep. Bowers & Sen. Miles for getting this to my desk. pic.twitter.com/XcCeaA8X8E

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 12, 2023

Back in Mont Belvieu, the George family is now suing the Texas governor and attorney general, claiming that they’re failing to enforce the CROWN Act. The federal civil rights lawsuit says Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton are failing to protect George’s rights against discrimination, as well as his right to freedom of speech and free expression. According to the NBC 5 report, the family is seeking a temporary restraining order through the lawsuit to halt George’s in-school suspension while the case works through the courts. In June, Abbott posted a video to X (formerly Twitter) of him signing the bill with state Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers at his side.

Bowers is the author of the CROWN Act, House Bill 567. In a statement last week she said she stands by the George family. “The Texas CROWN Act was passed to prevent situations like this, and it is very disappointing to see Barbers Hill ISD attempt to find loopholes to skirt the law and perpetuate hair discrimination,” Bowers said. “I am calling for the district to revise their dress and grooming code in accordance with the CROWN Act and to end disciplinary actions taken against Darryl George for wearing locks.”

She said she supports any and all means necessary to bring justice, proper enforcement and implementation to all school districts and places of employment when it comes to compliance with the Texas CROWN Act.

Bowers said, “We will continue to advocate for Darryl George and educate the general public as to the protections of this new law – standing up for anyone that is treated unfairly and discriminated against in any way.”