After serving more than a month of in-school suspension over his dreadlocks, a Black student in Texas was told he will be removed from his high school and sent to a disciplinary alternative education program on Thursday.
Darryl George, 18, is a junior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu and has been suspended since Aug. 31. He will be sent to EPIC, an alternative school program, from Oct. 12 through Nov. 29 for “failure to comply” with multiple campus and classroom regulations, the principal said in a Wednesday letter provided to The Associated Press by the family.
Principal Lance Murphy wrote that George has repeatedly violated the district’s “previously communicated standards of student conduct." The letter also says that George will be allowed to return to regular classroom instruction on Nov. 30 but will not be allowed to return to his high school’s campus until then unless he’s there to discuss his conduct with school administrators.
Barbers Hill Independent School District prohibits male students from having hair extending below the eyebrows, ear lobes or top of a T-shirt collar, according to the student handbook. Additionally, hair on all students must be clean, well-groomed, geometrical and not an unnatural color or variation. The school does not require uniforms.
George’s mother, Darresha George, and the family’s attorney deny the teenager’s hairstyle violates the dress code. The family last month filed a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency and a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state’s governor and attorney general, alleging they failed to enforce a new law outlawing discrimination based on hairstyles.
The family alleges George’s suspension and subsequent discipline violate the state’s CROWN Act, which took effect Sept. 1. The law, 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.
A federal version passed in the U.S. House last year, but was not successful in the Senate.
The school district also filed a lawsuit in state district court asking a judge to clarify whether its dress code restrictions limiting student hair length for boys violates the CROWN Act. The lawsuit was filed in Chambers County, east of Houston.
George’s school previously clashed with two other Black male students over the dress code.
Barbers Hill officials told cousins De’Andre Arnold and Kaden Bradford they had to cut their dreadlocks in 2020. Their families sued the district in May 2020, and a federal judge later ruled the district’s hair policy was discriminatory. Their pending case helped spur Texas lawmakers to approve the state’s CROWN Act. Both students withdrew from the school, with Bradford returning after the judge’s ruling.
link: https://www.aol.com/news/black-student-suspended-over-hairstyle-220842177.html
Maybe try teaching the guy more, and caring about his hair less.
But that completely defeats the purpose! (which is the racism)
So… Where is the catalog of approved haircuts for students to pick from? Fucking fascist ideas being masked in bullshit like avoiding fake “distractions” in classrooms.
I’d like to see a catalog of edge cases that would theoretically be up to code but still look outrageous.
I’m sure we could get creative here. Like, you could go with the Friar Tuck look with the top part shaved and that would be fine. I guess it depends on what they consider “geometrical”
I’m more of a Manchu queue style.
The approved hairstyles:
The bottom left guy looks a little like a North Korean Tom Hanks.
Pure, unadulterated racism.
That’s Texas for ya
Texas actually passed a law banning this. Yea… the State and current governor think this is wrong. Let that sink in.
Jesus Christ, I suppose that goes to show just how fucked up it is
So their guidelines are openly discriminatory at best, and openly racist otherwise…
It’s mind-blowing how quickly the US is regressing because we’re kowtowing to a miniscule minority.
I’m openly curious how well a “liberal” minded individual who isn’t afraid to be an asshole would be received.
Largely, the problem is that the far-right shows up.
No matter how tiny the power grab, they’ll have someone there to grab it, often unopposed.
The problem is largely the structure of our democracy. The left shows up, they showed up more in the last decade than they ever have. And we’re still sliding backward.
Because the way our idiotic system works, the number of people that show up matter less than the zip code they show up in.
I’d love to see what a liberal asshole politician would look like, but i can’t see it working out today. As much as the right blows wokeism out of proportion, PC culture is still a thing in a lot of liberal areas, and if you’re not PC as a liberal politician I imagine you’ll offend the more sensitive parts of your own base. Didn’t Bernie Sanders get hit with some of that? And he wasn’t even that assholeish, he just showed a spine.
Ilhan Omar’s treatment of a woman asking for her political support in opposition to female genital mutilation was pretty close to being a liberal asshole politician (or it revealed her to be trying to have her cake and eat it; namely, that she takes positions designed to get liberal support, and simultaneously strategically acts like a regressive when it comes to FGM to get support from African hijabis and other Islamists).
I’m openly curious how well a “liberal” minded individual who isn’t afraid to be an asshole would be received.
Speaking from experience here, people will actively, and sometimes collectively, attack you for it. They’ll gang up on you online. They’ll openly and often violently bully you in real life. They’ll even abuse the legal system to get rid of you if they are angry enough at you.
Being an asshole towards shitty people (and the vast majority of humans are shitty people, myself included) is very VERY enlightening on how our rights and our laws are just a thin veneer covering what really governs our lives, and that is our feelings. Most humans could give a fuck less about logic, facts or the truth; they only care about their emotions and what they want because they are only connected to the real world through their emotions, not their minds.
Humans are no better than base animals and being willing to be a horrifying House-level dick towards those you think are deserving demonstrates this, really handily.
It doesn’t surprise me that poor young man was forced to go to an alternate school where the diploma he’ll get won’t be as respected by the colleges he’ll apply to. He probably told them off for being so blatantly racist and, in their hurt, they kicked him out.
I’m openly curious how well a “liberal” minded individual who isn’t afraid to be an asshole would be received.
Carlin died an old man rich and successful
Are we kowtowing to a miniscule minority? The only kowtowing I personally observe are academic institutions within states with GOP-dominated legislatures and courts. K-12 schools in progressive areas within such states have to tread carefully to keep the man off their back, and public universities have to carefully craft their language relating to research and programs. But largely it’s a semantic game, where the substance doesn’t change but the language used is toned down to avoid attention of asshats. Similar to any research related to human sexuality when there’s a Republican president in the White House and the NIS/NIH leadership is dominated by GOP appointees - they don’t change the research, but they absolutely rework the language used to describe the project.
But I was told America is the land of the free. Have I been misinformed?
Whoever told you that is your enemy.
best reference i’ve ever witnessed
The finger to the land of the chains
You’re perfectly free to do things exactly as you’re told. Capiche?
Land of the “free to tell you what to do.”
It’s just the accent, it’s actually: “land of the fee, home of the brave racist.”
Land of the fee, home of the slave.
If you are already privileged you probably are experiencing freedom.
What does that mean?
If you’re a rich white Christian and a man AND good looking, then you can do pretty much whatever the fuck you want.
Not rich, not white (for America’s standards), not Christian, not good looking.
I think I’ll enjoy my life here in Europe.
I’m planning on starting the emigration process within the next few years because it’s starting to become obvious that the US will never get its shit together. Too many selfish hypocrites holding things back. I understand that the grass isn’t always greener, but I’m confident that it will at least taste better with those sweet sweet European social services.
Nothing, but at least it sounds deep
The entire US culture that the world sees is a lie. Anyone who lives or has visited is aware, but all these other people watch movies and think American is some magical land.
Nah, wealth is just built on slavery and opression.
Modern day slavery in jails and low wages tied to healthcare.
yes.
It’s just hair. Why is the school district so interested in restricting hairstyles?
It’s not just hair though. It’s the fact that a black student challenged a decision they’ve made.
Specifically, it seems the school was explicitly told to target a single student in order for opening a way for the Governor to challenge the CROWN act in courts. It’s pure political maneuvering. Picking scapegoats and destroying individuals to advance racists agendas.
I can hear the shrieks of “uppity” from over here.
You know why.
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I’m wondering if there’s more going on but the story is focusing on the most absurd detail. Its America though so I wouldn’t be surprised either way.
It sounds like there have been a few other code of conduct violations and the schools issue with his hair style was the final straw. Who knows if the previous “violations of the code” were also rooted in racism, but either way, a hair style should never be the ultimate reason someone is expelled unless they’ve purposefully shaved an offensive slurr into their hair.
Looks like it’s part of a uniform requirement. It’s part of the “make them all look the same, that will stop bad behavior”.
Public school shouldn’t be that way and it’s stupid in general. I went to “management school” for most of my middle school years and they did that to stop kids from fighting over colors and shit. Kinda made sense there though because we were all “bad apples”.
The school does not require uniforms.
Dammit I’m busted! Thanks for being the smart one and reading the article.
Fuck, dude, that is painfully racist of the school.
Barbers Hill Independent School District prohibits male students from having hair extending below the eyebrows, ear lobes or top of a T-shirt collar, according to the student handbook. Additionally, hair on all students must be clean, well-groomed, geometrical and not an unnatural color or variation. The school does not require uniforms.
Land of the fucking free.
Call me when the HOA allows you to plant clover on the front lawn.
Hair in the photo doesn’t even seem to break any of those rules??
The South is quite a disgusting place.
LAND OF THE FREE? whoever told you that is your ENEMY! -rage
Texas actually has a pretty great law about replacing lawns with drought tolerant alternatives. This article gives a good summary: https://greenrightnow.com/hoas-must-consider-drought-tolerant-landscaping-under-new-law-passed-by-texas-legislature/
The article mentions some concerns about still allowing HOAs to require homeowners to submit plans for approval, but in my experience just mentioning the state law is enough to get any denial overturned.
The fact you have a law about lawns is funny and sad at the same time.
What’s sad is to think how unlikely it would be to get passed in today’s political climate.
I hope the family successfully destroys the finances of the people involved in these super racist decisions.
Usually it’s taxpayers money.
And in this case it shouldn’t be.
Yes it should. The school administration answers to elected officials who represent the tax payers/voters. If the community doesn’t like spending money on racist bullshit they should vote for someone with a god-damned lick of sense.
I don’t think it’s racism tbh. I went to a Texas highschool and they tried to make me cut my hair when I was younger. I am biracial and never did I consider it racial. Is it a dumb rule? Yes. It was created during the hippy era as a stand of some sort.
It won’t, it’s not a racist policy. The people enforcing it probably are but if anything it’s a homophobic policy
The problem is hair length not hair style
Though some religious beliefs prevent cutting hair so there may be something there
By implementing a hair policy that excludes styles and lengths which are clearly a part of black culture and a way of expressing identity in America, the policy is racist. Whether or not the intent was racism, it still has the effect, making it a racist policy. It can also be discriminatory towards queer people and other cultures.
I’ve seen a lot more white people with long hair than black people
But the punk/metal movement has always been progressive
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I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that any hair that is ‘relatively long’, ‘not geometrical’, or ‘unnatural color or variation’ is “clearly part of black culture.”
Good thing that’s not what I said. The policy doesn’t exclude all black hairstyles, but many of the hairstyles that would be excluded are sources of cultural/personal identity for black Americans.
it doesn’t seem to be written to target any particular culture
Literally what I spent my first comment explaining - it doesn’t have to be written to target a specific culture to be a racist policy. Oppression is not determined by the intent of the oppressor, but by the lived experiences of the oppressed.
That’s the issue with systemic racism. It’s designed to not look particularly racist until you examine in detail the things it effects. Many traditional black hair styles are going to violate some portion of that rule. Dreads almost certainly need to be longer and afros probably wouldn’t fly, for example. Most typical white styles are fine though.
The word you were searching for is sexist. I’ve been saying since the initial article that this might be unconstitutional under Bostock v. Clayton County.
You are saying the language of the written policy is not racist. It’s ultimately for a jury to decide whether the policy in action is racist.
You hold a higher opinion of the American public than I do if you think a jury will find something racially motivated that isn’t overtly so
I keep hearing America is the land of freedom and that Europe is way more racist than America.
This story would have never happened in Europe. Suspended because of a hairstyle, wtf.
This is a newsworthy isolated incident. It’s newsworthy because of the ridiculous stance of the principal.
Can we talk about France’s stance on hijabs in school?
Not isolated at all. Black kids (especially girls) get targeted all the time. It’s usually ignored or doesn’t make the news.
Lol if you think banning hijab as a good whataboutism example wait till you hear your hair is banned and must wear hijab to even attend public school.
Just here to point out that UK schools have also illegally forbidden some students from wearing afro hairstyles. In that case and this one, it’s against the law. The hope is that this treatment will not continue in both cases. We don’t need to resort to playing the suffering Olympics or whose country is worse pissing contests
Hijabs in France.
Texas is a GOP-strangled shithole, but Europe isn’t squeaky-clean, either.
Admittedly quite a lot of Brits would prefer not to admit that we are, in fact, in Europe. But Ruby Williams: No child with afro hair should suffer like me
I was suspended for my hairstyle on a number of occasions, in the UK. Bald now… the final humiliation.
This is how america is destroying its youth and their future just because they refuse to comply with their racist demands. This is how the entire world sees america.
Especially non-white youth. These ‘rules’ are designed specifically as a bludgeon to use against poc.
Well have fun judging an entire country based on a shit tier school in one of our most shit tier red states. What utopia free of all racism are you from?
Imagine being sent to the school with all the unruly and undisciplined kids because of your hairstyle. Crazy and so fucking racist.
Isn’t this in Texas or somewhere equally as shitty? They would have sent him to prison for his hair if they could have. School to prison pipeline is real.
Texas passed the CROWN-act to combat hair-based racial discrimination because that very same school already lost two cases where they discriminated black youths because of their hair.
For once Texas is on the right side.
Even Texas said this was too far
Imagine being more bigoted than Texas
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So if it was some freaky white chick with pink and purple hair all over the place would it be racist then? Because those policies apply to them too. Don’t be ignorant.
Okay, where are the white kids being penalized by this rule?
It doesn’t matter if “these rules apply to white kids” if they are only actually applied to poc.
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“My niece has multicolour hair and hasn’t actually been suspended” is not the argument you think it is.
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Of course it’s not, because she’s white.
“She hasn’t been suspended because she’s white” is definately not the argument you think it is.
(Yes, I know that wasn’t your intention but man, be careful how to word things maybe.)
Let’s take a look at the 2 situations here:
Situation 1:
POC going to a public school being disciplined due to their hair style.
Situation 2:
White kid going to a private school threatened with discipline due to their hair style, but not actually disciplined in any way just because their parents went in to talk to them.
I don’t know how any rational person looks at these and thinks “totally the same thing.”
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Question: Are black people ever affected by racism in any significant way?
private school
This boy was in public school. Private schools can be much more descriminatory.
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What a shithole.
Hope he gets into a college as far away as possible.
It’s baffling to me, that the US always claims to be the champion of freedom, but runs most of their education like part-time prison camps. My school here in Germany didn’t give a crap about anyone’s appearance. If you’re street legal, you’re fine in school.
That’s because you were raised to be a functioning member of society with enough tools to potentially succeed or excel.
They were raised to fail upward while grifting and scamming on the side while fighting for the opportunity to be a wageslave and entering a lottery to be successful. Or risk prison and become an actual slave as allowed in their constitution.
Ooh! I’ve got a thing about this!
In an Episode of the Youtube series Under the Blacklight, David Blight, a Yale professor brought something up that I think brings the American idea of “freedom” into a different context. He says “This whole new idea of what’s liberty and liberty for whom, can also kill. Especially when it replaces the idea of Liberty as that which has to be shared in some kind of common good.”
The idea isn’t really new and is actually deeply rooted in America’s past through to it’s creation. Freedom should be a group concept in which we maximize freedom for the populace. Instead it’s seen as individual freedom only. When you combine this with the idea that freedom is the most important thing, it results in people coming to the conclusion that they are justified in anything in the process of attaining what they want. And they’ll use whatever tools they have available to attain this in as straight a path as they can.
America has always been a champion of personal freedom, whatever they say. It’s founding was about a bunch of business men who didn’t want to pay taxes so they staged a rebellion. There’s still a heavy bent against taxes with the main argument being people don’t want the government to have any power, but really it’s because individuals just want to keep their money while disregarding the ways in which that money would improve the good for all people. At it’s core America is a Selfish nation built of selfishness and getting yours before someone else takes it.
It gets more a little complicated when talking about motives of those in power, but boils down to the same, and they retain that power primarily by banging the “personal freedoms” drum.
To quote famed Discworld philosopher Granny Weatherwax,
“There’s no grays, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.” “It’s a lot more complicated than that–” “No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they’re getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.” “Oh, I’m sure there are worse crimes–” “But they starts with thinking about people as things…”
Thank you for coming to my TED talk
I generally agree that that freedom in the US is mostly seen as ‘my personal right to do anything I want’.
But that’s exactly what is being restricted here. An individual’s personal freedom to wear the hairstyle they want.
So how does that explain the restrictiveness of US schools?Because it’s bad even by our standards.
Because that individual doesn’t have the power to enforce their personal freedom. The Principal does have the power to enforce their idea of what the “correct” look is. The principal isn’t concerned about raising conditions for the group in actuality, they just want reality to conform to their idea of what they desire it to be. For them, it’s within their rights to their own freedom to bring everything that makes them uncomfortable to heel. Anything that they don’t like is an affront to their personal freedom to make everyone do what they want.
My school here in Germany didn’t give a crap about anyone’s appearance.
Tell that to the French who ban all religious symbols
Good, religion has no place on a public education setting.
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Not relevant. You don’t have less rights to free expression when skydaddy is involved.
Except skydaddy psychos think they do have more rights to impose their rules and beliefs over others, which is an active attack to other’s rights. So no, on publicly funded institutions, skydaddy has no place and shouldn’t be allowed in.
Really? Did you interview each and every single one? I was a theist and I had zero interest in doing that.
Sorry you don’t believe in freedom of expression
Get out of here with your stupid “freedumb of eshpreshon!” Separation of church and state is a pillar of democratic, tolerant and peaceful societies. That means, no religion in public schools. No one is stopping anyone from being as religious and practice whatever they want in their home, or even in public on the street. But as soon as they put a feet on a publicly funded institution, they must abide by the law above all. Not the mandates of their imaginary friend. Freedom of expression doesn’t mean free from public responsibility.
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Man this is one school run by just a few people, all it takes is one goofy bastard to suspend a student. This isn’t an “US” issue
Yeah, because this is the one case where this happened. Never before and nowhere else.
My school had a uniform for about two years before they gave up on it. Of course, like everything else they did, they failed to plan.
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US motherfuckers celebrating being better than an actual war zone
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A lot of the US is like that tho
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This doesn’t make a lot of sense in context, sure Texas has twice the land of Germany, but Germany has 2.5 times the population of Texas.
Though I agree Texas is likely not representative of all the USA.
So, Germany has the population of Texas + Florida + Georgia? Doesn’t sound that large.
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Please shut the fuck up with this “but the US is big” excuse for every single topic, it doesn’t explain or excuse anything at all
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Except my public school growing up tried a uniform as well. Stop making excuses, this isn’t a black swan event this is the mole that suggests cancer.
I’m hearing these and similar stories from all over the country.
It’s not just about schools, either, but also colleges and education in general. And if you think about it, a lot of life too. Jaywalking for example. That’s a crime that simply does not exist elsewhere.
“Failure to comply”
There it is, that’s the entire purpose of the modern education system, to beat us into submission to arbitrary socioeconomic roles, to curtail independence and creativity, rendering us fodder for corporate masters. Mind all the rules and maybe tomorrow you’ll get the extra nice table scraps.
Good for them not complying, they literally harmed nobody including themselves. The suspension is clearly a punitive measure to heal the administration’s wounded pride, which is also an essential aspect of the education system.
… Do you really believe all that you just wrote here? Because that is just conspiracy theory level nonsense.
Yes, this school, and likely
toianynoyherstoo many others (typing at night is fun) have a bunch of asshole administrators that feel the need to show who’s in charge. That doesn’t mean all education is to shape us into slaves. Chill dude.Toianynoyhers. That might be the most egregious typo I’ve ever seen. I’m gonna hazard a guess at “too many others”? Hope I’m right, I’ve got $10 riding on it.
I just glossed past that word, thinking it was an old-timey insult
All those goddamn toianynoyhers and their asshole administrators! I think I’ve found my new insult of choice.
They don’t want to be communists and they’re literally doing what the communists in my country used to do
They are being authoritarian, likely your country was also under an authoritarian regime in the past based on what you’re saying. Systems of economy are kinda separate
Or, both.
They want to be authoritarians, whatever flavor they have to be to have power.
They don’t want anyone else to have power over them.
So when they’re in the out group, they’ll ramp up the persecution narrative, and when they’re in power, they’ll ruthlessly repress everyone else.
All makes internal sense, if you’re an asshole.
Not remotely communist nor were the folks in “your country” communists regardless of what anyone claims. Always apply the “Is North Korea really a Democracy” test to any such labeling.
Nobody else got downvoted a bunch except you, because you know Hexbear is reading
