CHAMBERS COUNTY, Texas — The attorney for a Barbers Hill ISD student who filed a lawsuit against the school district over allegations of racial and gender discrimination says the case will proceed despite a judge dismissing most of the lawsuit’s claims.
Darryl George was suspended from regular classes at Barbers Hill High School for the majority of the 2023-2024 school year. The school said his dreadlocks extended below his eyebrows and earlobes and violated the school district’s dress code. George spent time outside of class suspended or in an off-site disciplinary program.
On Tuesday, a federal judge dismissed most of the lawsuits against the school district. The judge also dismissed the claim that George’s 14th Amendment due process rights were violated. He also excluded Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton, the school’s superintendent and other school employees from the case.
The only claim the judge allowed to stand was a charge of gender discrimination based on the school district’s lack of a clearly defined policy about why girls could have long hair but boys could not.
“They have to prove that girls and boys have learned differently and that there is a reason why a girl is allowed to have long hair but a man is not,” said George’s lawyer Allie Booker.
Booker said she was initially saddened that most of the lawsuits were dismissed, but she believes the fact that the judge left the gender discrimination allegation in the lawsuit opens the door for a broader impact. George’s mother, Darresha George, agreed with Booker’s sentiments.
“I feel like the judge gave us what we needed, that this fight goes beyond us. This is a fight that goes beyond race, that goes beyond just one class. It’s about the whole gender, boys, girls, it’s about everything right now,” she said. “That’s a good thing. It hasn’t hurt us. It’s helped us.”
Darresha explains that the case involves more than just her son and that is why they are pursuing it further.
“It’s about every male in this school district that is born here, that moves to this school district, he has to be in this school district. It’s about everyone in this school district. It’s not just about Darryl,” she said.
George is scheduled to return to Barbers Hill School next week to begin his senior year. Booker said she filed a temporary restraining order with the judge on Wednesday in hopes of allowing George to attend school as normal without being suspended or serving detention.
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