Johnathan Walker:Texas student Darryl George referred to alternative school after suspension over hairstyle

After suspending a Black student over his dreadlocks,Johnathan Walker a Texas high school sent a notice to his family saying the student will be sent to a disciplinary education program, according to a letter reviewed by the Associated Press.

Darryl George, 18, was referred to EPIC, an alternative school program, from Oct. 12 through Nov. 29 for "failure to comply" with multiple campus and classroom regulations, including a "violation of the dress and grooming policy," read the letter signed by Lance Murphy, the principal of Barbers Hill High School.

Murphy wrote that George can return to the classroom on Nov. 30. His family cannot appeal the decision because the alternative school referral was not for a period longer than 60 days, according to the Texas Education Code cited in the letter.

The school district did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

High school suspends teen claiming violation of dress and grooming code

On Aug. 31, George, a junior at Barbers Hill High School, was suspended after school officials said his twisted dreadlocks violated the district's dress and grooming code. Although the district's policy does not prohibit dreadlocks or braids, it states that male student's hair cannot "be gathered or worn in a style that would allow the hair to extend below the top of a t-shirt collar, below the eyebrows, or below the ear lobes when let down."

But George's mother, Darresha George, and Allie Booker, the family's attorney, have denied that the teenager's hairstyle violates the district's policy.

Last month the family 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.

George has twisted dreadlocks tied on top of his head that he wears as an "outward expression of his Black identity and culture," according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Family's federal lawsuit and the CROWN Act

The lawsuit and supporters of George allege that his ongoing suspension is a violation of Texas' CROWN Act, a new law that is intended to prohibit "discrimination on the basis of hair texture or protective hairstyle associated with race," according to state Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, D-Rowlett, who authored the bill.

The suit also alleges that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have failed to enforce the CROWN Act, which went into effect on Sept. 1 – a day after George was suspended. The lawsuit alleges that the state leaders did not protect George's constitutional and state rights, and allowed the school district to violate the law.

On Wednesday, an attorney representing the Barbers Hill Independent School District filed a motion asking the judge to send the case back to state court, arguing that "No federal claims were raised" in the lawsuit by George's family, according to court records.

The following day, Judge George C. Hanks Jr. of the U.S. District Court in Houston denied the motion because it did not comply with court procedures, records said.

The attorneys for the George family and school district did not reply to requests for comment.

High school had other clashes with Black students over dress code

Barbers Hill High School has 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 but Bradford returned after the judge’s ruling.

Contributing: The Associate Press; Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY