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IzzaNuDay

(362 posts)
Thu Feb 22, 2024, 06:25 PM Feb 22

Texas school legally punished Black student over hairstyle, judge says

https://apnews.com/article/hair-discrimination-school-locs-texas-trial-4a1c3ec2ff85da27ffb2118f9fc55007

ANAHUAC, Texas (AP) — A Black high school student’s monthslong punishment by his Texas school district for refusing to change his hairstyle does not violate a new state law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, a judge ruled on Thursday.

Darryl George, 18, has not been in his regular Houston-area high school classes since Aug. 31 because the district, Barbers Hill, says the length of his hair violates its dress code.

The district filed a lawsuit arguing George’s long hair, which he wears in tied and twisted locs on top of his head, violates its policy because it would fall below his shirt collar, eyebrows or earlobes when let down. The district has said other students with locs comply with the length policy.


This CROWN act is about to become undone. If the kid's locks are tied and twisted, what the heck does it matter?
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IzzaNuDay

(362 posts)
2. An excellent reason to vote at all levels...
Thu Feb 22, 2024, 06:44 PM
Feb 22

When people sit out of voting -- they miss out on voting out these yahoos at the local, county, state and Federal level.
Elections have consequences.

cstanleytech

(26,293 posts)
5. I suspect that it might be difficult to get a jury to agree that its due to race if its being applied to everyone.
Fri Feb 23, 2024, 03:03 AM
Feb 23

Personally though I dont care if its 4 feet long and dyed blue with pink bowes in it but thats just my opinion.

LetMyPeopleVote

(145,313 posts)
3. Today's lawsuit was a state court case -there is a separate federal case
Thu Feb 22, 2024, 08:45 PM
Feb 22

Today's lawsuit was in State Court in Anahuac which is a very small town east of Houston. I am not surprised at this result. The constitutionality of the CROWN Act was not addressed. I was pleased to see Rep. Ron Reynolds testify about the law he wrote





Booker said after the ruling that she intends to appeal the decision. She also said she will file an injunction in a pending federal lawsuit filed by Darresha and Darryl George against the school district as well as state leaders.

During the trial, Booker called upon two witnesses: Darresha George and Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, who co-authored the CROWN Act and chairs the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. Attorneys asked George’s mother few questions, only asking her to identify her son and define his hairstyle.

Reynolds, however, was questioned at length as the two sides argued over the intent behind the law. Reynolds said he co-authored the bill because he was disturbed by Barbers Hill’s treatment of DeAndre Arnold, a Black student who was told he couldn’t attend his graduation ceremony at Barbers Hill High School unless he cut his locs. A judge issued a preliminary injunction in that case, blocking the school district from enforcing its policy in that particular case. Litigation is ongoing in the case.

Here is more on the separate federal lawsuit


https://abcnews.go.com/US/black-high-school-student-suspended-texas-dreadlocks/story

The family of a Black Texas high school student who was suspended over his dreadlocks filed a federal lawsuit Saturday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton for allegedly not enforcing the state’s CROWN Act, a law which protects from hair discrimination.

The family filed the complaint alleging that Darryl George, a junior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, has been subjected to "improper discipline and abrogation of both his Constitutional and state rights," as a result of the governor's and the AG's failure to provide equal protection and due process under the law for the plaintiffs; ensuring school districts and schools refrain from discrimination based on race and sex and from using the Crown Act of Texas to cause outright race and discrimination, according to a copy of the lawsuit ABC News obtained......

State Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Houston), who was one of the authors of the Texas CROWN Act, told ABC News in an interview that he has spoken with the family and offered his support.

"We're going to protect him. They're not in it alone. So, we as the Texas Legislative Black Caucus stand behind him," Reynolds said. "This was one of our top five legislative priorities this session, and we fought like hell to pass it and we won't go quietly in the night."

This issue is not over.
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