HOUSTON – The controversy over whether or not a Black highschool scholar in Texas needs to be serving in-school suspension for sporting twisted dreadlocks to class intensified this week as the coed’s household and his faculty district each took authorized motion.

Darryl George, 17, a junior at Barbers Hill Excessive Faculty in Mont Belvieu, has been serving an in-school suspension since Aug. 31 on the Houston-area faculty. Faculty officers say his dreadlocks fall under his eyebrows and ear lobes and violate the district’s gown code.

George’s mom, Darresha George, and the household’s legal professional deny {the teenager}’s coiffure violates the Barbers Hill Unbiased Faculty District gown code and have accused the district of violating a brand new state regulation that outlaws racial discrimination primarily based on hairstyles. The brand new regulation, the CROWN Act, took impact Sept. 1.

On Tuesday, Darresha George and her legal professional filed a proper criticism with the Texas Schooling Company, alleging that Darryl George was being harassed and mistreated by faculty district officers over his hair and that his in-school suspension was in violation of the CROWN Act.

On Wednesday, the company notified Darresha George and her legal professional that it’ll examine the criticism.

Later Wednesday, the Barbers Hill faculty district introduced it had filed a lawsuit in state district court docket asking a decide to make clear whether or not its gown code restrictions limiting scholar hair size for boys violates the CROWN Act. The lawsuit was filed in Chambers County, situated east of Houston.

“Although we believe the new law does not govern hair length, we are asking the judicial system of Texas to interpret,” Barbers Hill Superintendent Greg Poole stated in a press release.

The superintendent had beforehand stated the gown code is authorized and teaches college students to adapt as a sacrifice benefiting everybody.

Darresha George stated the battle to have her son return to class has taken a toll on her mentally and bodily. She stated she was not too long ago hospitalized after a sequence of panic and nervousness assaults introduced on from stress.

“I try not to show everything because I have to stay strong for my son. I have to stay strong and stay in the fight,” Darresha George stated. “But it is draining.”

Darryl George did return to his regular first-period class on Wednesday morning, was welcomed by his teacher and classmates, and for a moment he “felt free for a little bit,” his mom stated.

But soon after his return, the school principal pulled him out of class and returned him to in-school suspension over his hair and for allegedly wearing an earring, which his mother said he does not wear to school.

“So (the principal) snatched his freedom right back away,” Darresha George said.

In a statement, the school district said it would not enhance the current punishment against Darryl George while it waits for a ruling on its lawsuit.

The CROWN Act, an acronym for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is intended to prohibit race-based hair discrimination and bars employers and schools from penalizing people because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including Afros, braids, dreadlocks, twists or Bantu knots. Texas is one of 24 states that have enacted a version of the CROWN Act.

A federal version of the CROWN Act passed in the House of Representatives last year, but was not successful in the Senate.

Darryl George’s school previously clashed with another Black male student over the dress code. Barbers Hill officials told a student he had to cut his dreadlocks to return to school or participate in graduation in 2020, which garnered national attention. The student’s mother withdrew him from the school and a federal judge later ruled the school district’s hair policy was discriminatory.

Darryl George’s family has said it plans to file a federal lawsuit against the school district.

“Barbers Hill, the hammer of accountability is coming. You will no longer discriminate or be racist or ignorant to no child on our watch,” said Candice Matthews, national minister of politics for the New Black Panther Nation, who is a family spokesperson.

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