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Sheila Jackson Lee holds news conference discussing Barbers Hill, CROWN Act controversy following lawsuit

Darryl George, an 18-year-old junior, along with his lawyer, Allie Booker, left, and Texas state Rep. Ron Reynolds, center, speak with reporters on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, before a court hearing in Anahuac, Texas, over whether his Houston-area school district can continue to punish him for refusing to change his hairstyle. A judge ordered Wednesday that a trial be held next month to determine whether George can continue being punished by his district for refusing to change a hairstyle he and his family say is protected by a new state law. (AP Photo/Juan A. Lozano) (Juan A. Lozano , ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Note: The press conference scheduled for March 7 was cancelled due to a scheduling issue. Stay tuned for more updates.


Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is expected to hold a press conference following the recent ruling which stated that Barbers Hill Independent School District did not violate the CROWN Act after disciplining a student for wearing his natural hair.

Elected officials, including Jackson Lee, Rep. Ron Reynolds, and Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, have continued the fight back against the ruling, claiming that they wrote the bill after an identical incident at the exact same school nearly four years ago.

SEE ALSO: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, community activists discuss Crown Act violation by Barbers Hill ISD

Back in 2023, Barbers Hil junior, Darryl George was told his hair, which he wears in locs, was against the district’s handbook policy.

Darryl and his family refused to cut his hair, which they say is always tucked away, in a neat style for class.

Darryl George, a 17-year-old junior, before walking across the street to go into Barbers Hill High School after serving a 5-day in-school suspension for not cutting his hair Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Mont Belvieu. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The family ultimately filed suit against the district, resulting in a response from the superintendent who says they are well within their rights to continue punishing the student.

SEE ALSO: ‘Conform to Black hair’: Protest held in Barbers Hill ISD superintendent’s neighborhood ahead of trial over CROWN Act

After spending more than half of his junior year in in-school suspension, the family thought some relief would come from a federal judge last month.

Despite their hopefulness, the judge ruled in favor of Barbers Hill ISD.

SEE ALSO: Barbers Hill ISD wins legal battle against student’s family over CROWN Act, hair length restrictions

At this time, it is unclear if Darryl has plans to cut his hair or if he will leave the district.

However, both Reynolds and Bowers said at a news conference last month that they will go back to the drawing board and tweak the act so that this will no longer be a persistent issue.

After this week’s Democratic party win in the Primary Election, Jackson Lee made her way back to Washington D.C., and will address this matter at 3 p.m.

SEE ALSO: ‘It’s your culture’: KPRC 2 employee shares experience, cultural impact of having son with hair locs

‘We will see justice’: Family, attorney for Barbers Hill student say they won’t back down amid hairstyle controversy


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