Strange lawsuit in the US: teenager suspended from school because of his haircut

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Darryl George (18) attends Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, near Houston, Texas. But only on paper. He hasn’t been in a classroom for a long time. Because: The school suspended him in August 2023 because he wore his hair in long dreadlocks, reports the American television channel NBC News. This was against the high school dress code, as claimed by the responsible school authorities. The dress code states that boys are not allowed to wear their hair longer than their ears. The 18-year-old student refused to cut his hair.

Shortly afterwards he was expelled from school. Darryl’s family won’t let this go. “I have an 18-year-old son who wants to go to school, who wants to get his education, and you are putting obstacles in his way. Why?”, his mother Darresha George told the AP indignantly.

The teenager hopes he can go back to school. “I hope I can be a kid again, live my life, play football again and enjoy my year, my last years in high school.”

No discrimination because it’s about height

Now a judge will decide on Thursday whether the school acted correctly. The family is relying on the newly introduced law in the state. It aims to prevent hair discrimination in the workplace or at school. It protects various hair structures and hairstyles, such as dreadlocks. Specifically, the new rules prohibit schools from discriminating against a hair texture or style that is commonly or historically associated with race. Texas high school officials point out that this does not refer to hair length.

This isn’t the first time the Texas county has made headlines for its hair policy. In 2020, two students filed a lawsuit after being suspended due to the same dilemma. Darryl George’s attorney tells NBC News she has confidence in her client’s case. “I want us to feel comfortable in our natural state. We shouldn’t have to change or adapt.” (mgf)

Source: Blick