MONT BELVIUE, Texas – A Barbers Hill High School student and his mother stood alongside elected officials and community leaders on Wednesday to speak in depth about his continual punishment within the district over how he wears his natural hair.
Darryl George, his mother, Candice Matthews with the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats, Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds, Texas Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, and family attorney, Allie Booker, spoke before a mandatory hearing where they said the judge summoned them to court.
Back in August 2023, the 18-year-old was reprimanded for his hairstyle at his school. Darryl wears his hair in locs, which his family and attorney say are always neatly put up in a style.
When asked, Darryl refused to cut his locs and was later suspended and then placed in an alternative school.
After weeks at the alternative school, he was moved to In-School Suspension because his hair reportedly violates the district’s handbook as it relates to grooming policies.
CLICK HERE FOR KPRC 2′S COVERAGE OF THE CROWN ACT
He and his family have held on to their belief that the disciplinary actions taken by the school are in direct violation of Texas’ CROWN Act which was passed back in 2023, prohibiting schools and employers from discriminating against hair texture or protective hairstyle discrimination based on race.
“Darryl George has been through a lot throughout this entire process,” said Texas civil rights activist Candice Matthews. “I mean, this process has been a fiasco in reference to Barbers Hill ISD.”
Matthews, who has stood alongside the family since day one, said that Darryl will not conform to the policy’s rule, and told KPRC 2′s Re’Chelle Turner that their team has even been retalited against during the entire ordeal.
She said that she and Darryl’s mother both attempted to file grievances on the school which she alleges have since been thrown in the trash. She also said that the family filed for Darryl to have his hairstyle OK’d based on religious reasons however that was not approved.
Matthews added that Barbers Hill ISD “wanted to pick a sacrificial lamb in order for them to show that ‘We don’t give a damn about your bill, and your law.’”
The primary author of the CROWN Act, Texas Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers was at the news conference and said that she believes this young man and his education are being held captive during such a vital time in his educational journey.
Bowers addressed the Barbers Hill ISD superintendent directly, speaking about the full-page AD he published last week in the Houston Chronicle which defends the district’s position on the matter.
“Superintendent Greg Poole said, last weekend in that full-page AD that some of you may have seen in the Houston Chronicle, that being an American requires conformity,” Bowers said. “And to Mr. Poole, I say, we are a nation of individuals. And we see your efforts to break down this young Black man, and we will not allow it.”
In the AD, Poole made mention of the school district’s board of trustees and noted that a lone African American member represents their district. He added that academic success within the district is connected to its unwavering dress codes.
However, Bowers said that they are still breaking Texas state law and that the type of style Darryl is wearing is one of the main reasons she wrote the CROWN Act. She added that if she and her team have to go back to the drawing board to create a clearer law, they will.
“If we have to go back next session, we’ll be ready to go back and tackle that issue then. But it shouldn’t,” she said. “The CROWN Act as it is written, as it is law, is clear. Locs, Bantu knots, twists, braids, wash and go’s, blowouts, wigs, however you wish to wear your hair should be accepted. And gender and gender identity should not matter.”
Matthews also responded to the AD taken out by the Barbers Hill superintendent, saying, “Greg Poole, you have no business being around children in their educational journey because your racism ideologies clouds your judgment.”
Co-author of the bill, Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds said that he is saddened by the despicable actions of the school district.
“We worked religiously and relentlessly because it was Barbers Hill that led us to want to file the CROWN Act in the first place because of what they did to DeAndre Arnold,” Reynolds said. “When that bill was signed, we thought it was over with. Fast forward to this year, and Darryl, he never should have had to experience that. It’s total BS. I’m outraged. I’m frustrated, and I’m sick and tired of the nonsense.”
Reynolds added that Black is beautiful, and students should be able to wear their hair in any style they choose to because they have other problems to worry about such as bullying or drugs inside the schools.
“They have to deal with bullying and peer pressure, and we have to make sure we’re not exposing them to drugs and fentanyl and all kinds of other stuff,” Reynolds said. “Why are we even talking about this? Why are we even doing this? This is ridiculous!”
When he spoke about the district overall, he shared that leaders cannot continue to allow racism in their schools. “We’re not going to allow you and your MAGA mentality to continue to try and perpetuate these racist laws against students.”
In closing, he shared his sentiments about Darryl George and apologized to him, noting the mental trauma he must be facing as this process plays out. He added that Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency Mike Morath should be enforcing this law.
The family‘s attorney, Allie Booker spoke about the legality of what the district is doing, the alleged retaliation, and what the family hopes to see in this case.
“I want to start off by saying, I’m not afraid. And I want to start off by saying that he (Darryl) is not afraid You’re not going to continue to retaliate against us and think we’re going to back down,” Booker started off saying.
She also discussed Dr. Poole’s AD in the Chronicle and said that he has made these incidents about him. “The entire thing is about Greg Poole and how he feels about someone telling him what to do,” Booker said. “He doesn’t think that he should have to follow the law so he’s going to punish this young man as long as he can until he makes this young man give up.”
Following the news conference, the family headed to court where a judge answered questions about how the case will move forward. The trial is set to begin on Feb. 22.
SEE ALSO: A Black student was suspended for his hairstyle. Now his family is suing Texas officials
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