The CROWN Act legislation -- House Bill 392 – is scheduled for a public hearing in Austin at 8 a.m. Thursday.

AdTimeka Moore specializes in natural hair at her salon Sugacurls in west Houston. Moore said in the 17 years she’s been doing natural hair, she’s noticed that times are changing. Katy-based hair specialist, Karess The Stylist, said the natural hair movement has come a long way. “There’s a greater selection now than how it was in 2009.”AdIn the past, many naturals had to make hair products out of their kitchen. Tapley said the average Target store will carry 59 brands of products tailored to natural hair.

This same policy sparked national debate when it was used to punish two Texas students earlier this year for wearing their natural hair in dreadlocks. “While school districts throughout the country have removed policies that were based on antiquated sex stereotypes, many school districts in Texas still have policies that treat students differently on the basis of their gender,” Brian Klosterboer, an attorney for the ACLU of Texas, said in a written statement. “School districts need to conform to federal law and fix outdated policies that cause serious harm to students in Texas,” Klosterboer added. Bradford can return to his former high school for his junior year without the threat of suspension. The ACLU’s letter to the districts includes a copy of Arnold’s court case and dress code guidance from the Texas Association of School Boards.

MONT BELVIEU, Texas – One of two boys at the center of a hair controversy at Barbers Hill ISD returned to school for the first time since a judge ruled the district’s dress code policy was discriminatory. Bradford, now a junior at Barbers Hill High School, is the cousin of now graduated Deandre Arnold. When we talked to him back in January, Deandre said he had always followed the school dress code, until they had recently changed it. They both enrolled in Sterling High School, where Deandre graduated. The cousins and their mothers filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination, naming Barbers Hill ISD and Barbers Hill High School administrators.

DeAndre Arnold was told by Barbers Hill school officials to cut his dreadlocks. A federal court ruled that the district's ban on dreadlocks is discriminatory. The decision from the U.S. District Court in Houston overturns the grooming policy from the Barbers Hill School District. Both students refused to comply, and filed lawsuits against the school district that argued the policy was discriminatorily construed and enforced. In an op-ed published earlier this year, Barbers Hill Superintendent Greg Poole defended his choice to keep the dress code policy unaltered.

The conversation about hair discrimination and the need to pass the CROWN Act was center stage at the Oscars. “Hair Love,” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film Sunday. Cherry highlighted the story of Deandre Arnold, a Houston-area teen who refused to cut his dreadlocks after Barbers Hill ISD changed the district’s dress code. Arnold was invited to the Oscars by the “Hair Love” team. Here are photos and videos from the Oscars weekend:#Oscars Moment: Hair Love wins Best Animated Short Film!

HOUSTON – Members of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the CROWN Coalition, a national alliance of organizations committed to outlawing hair discrimination, held a press conference in support of the CROWN Act on Thursday. The CROWN Act, which stands for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is a law that prohibits discrimination based on hair texture and styles that are commonly associated with race. Arnold told KPRC 2 that his hair had been in compliance with school rules until recently. His story is now contributing to a national discussion about hair and discrimination. The Texas Legislative Black Caucus members say they support Arnold and the other students across Texas, and will discuss plans to introduce and pass the CROWN Act during the next legislative session.

See his journey so far:Barbers Hill Independent School District revised its dress code over winter break. (KPRC)The Barbers Hill School District released a written statement:“We do have a community supported hair length policy & have had for decades. Barbers Hill is a state leader with high expectations in all areas!”DeAndre Hopkins supports Barbers Hill High School student in dreadlocks controversy. — Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) January 22, 2020Arnold’s mother, Sandy Arnold, had later withdrawn her Arnold from Barbers Hill High School. “Once we first got on the news with Deandre (Arnold) then it just started becoming a problem,” said student Brandon Hernandez.

(CNN) – A teen whose hair has stirred both controversy and support is headed to the Academy Awards. Deandre Arnold, a senior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, and his mother, Sandy, have been invited to attend as the guest of director Matthew A. Cherry, whose "Hair Love" is one of the front-runners for the Best Animated Short Oscar. "Deandre is such a good kid, and he shouldn't be punished for his hair. "We think his hair is beautiful and this is the least we could do to support him and show him love," Cherry added. It went viral, and he has a "Hair Love" children's book with illustrations by Vashti Harrison.

MONT BELVIEU, Texas – Alicia Keys surprised a Houston-area student with $20,000 for “standing up for what is right” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I want to tell you that I couldn’t believe the story when I heard it,” Keys said on the show. “I’m super proud of you for standing up for what you know is right. Arnold, who has since withdrawn from the Barbers Hill, said he was given two options: in-school suspension or alternative school. They deserve to see me walk across the stage.”DeGeneres and Keys hope the school changes their mind.

The issue is how long the hair of male students at Barbers Hill High School should be. They said that student Deandre Arnold is not the only one being targeted by the district’s dress code. Arnold is Barbers Hill senior who has been told his hair is not in compliance with the district’s dress code. His family said his dreadlocks are part of their Trinidadian culture, and he has been out of school since refusing to cut his hair to meet the district’s dress code. “He is absolutely permitted to come back to school,” said Barbers Hill ISD Superintendent Greg Poole.

MONT BELVIEU – Updated: Deandre Arnold’s mother Sandy Arnold confirmed Friday that she has withdrawn her son from Barbers Hill High School. Original story: Barbers Hill High School student Deandre Arnold has always been a good student. “The dress code is off the shoulders above the earlobes and out of the eyes,” she said. But after Christmas break and three months before graduation, his mother said the district changed the dress code policy. The Barbers Hill School District released a written statement:We do have a community supported hair length policy & have had for decades.