A Black Texas student is being punished by his school for refusing to cut his dreadlocks.
Darryl George, who attends Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, was suspended for two weeks due to his hairstyle. The junior usually wears his locs in a twisted style, going back into a bun. Despite being neat and well-maintained, the school has contended that George’s hair is too long, falling past his ear lobes, thus violating its hygiene policy. Unfortunately, when he returned to school on Monday with the same hairstyle, George was suspended once again, AP News confirmed.
He was initially removed from the general student population on August 31st after school officials caught wind of George’s hair. After returning to school, George and his family thought that Barbers Hill may have had a change of heart. The decision to keep him away from the school left the 17-year-old in tears. His mother, Darresha, says due to his suspension, her son is forced to sit in one spot for eight hours a day, which is leading to back pains and his grades slipping.
The teen was booted from his school just one day before Texas’ CROWN Act went into effect on September 1st. The law is meant to protect those with natural hair from being discriminated against in the workplace and schools. Still, Barbers Hill Independent School District does not allow males to have hair beyond their eyebrows. Superintendent Greg Poole says students should sacrifice personal effects such as hair for the “betterment of the whole.”
“We need more teaching of sacrifice,” he said in response to the George family.
Barbers Hill Independent School District now plans to place Geroge in an alternative school since he refuses to cut his hair.
