A black Texas high school student’s family has filed a lawsuit against the state after the student’s hairstyle earned him multiple suspensions from his school district.
The 17-year-old, Darryl George, a junior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, just east of Houston, has been serving an in-school suspension since Aug. 31 because of his dreadlocks.
His mother, Darresha George, said the district’s claims are based on information they don’t have.
“They said that when let down, his hair is below his eyebrows. They’ve never seen his hair let down. His hair is always up,” Darresha George said. “They’re basically picking on my child.”
The lawsuit accuses Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton of failing to enforce the state’s CROWN Act, a new state law outlawing racial discrimination based on hairstyles.