Texas Barbers Hill High student Darryl George was suspended from school for wearing dreadlocks (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

MIAMI – A Black high school student in Texas who filed a lawsuit after he was suspended for wearing dreadlocks had his case dismissed by a federal judge, according to new reports.

Barbers Hill High’s dress code bans male students from wearing hair that extends below the eyebrows, ear lobes or shirt collar.

According to school officials, student Darryl George violated the code on several occasions in 2023 and was suspended for most of the school year.

He was forced to either serve in-school suspension or spend time at an off-site disciplinary program if he refused to cut his hair.

George’s family filed a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency and a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Texas governor and attorney general, along with the Barbers Hill Independent School District, alleging discrimination.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown ruled in favor of the district and dismissed the case with prejudice, preventing George from refiling the same claims in federal court.

George’s family released a statement calling the judge’s ruling disappointing.

“Today’s ruling in the Darryl George vs. Barbers Hill ISD case is yet another reminder of the uphill battle we face in demanding true equity and justice for Black students in Texas schools,” the statement said. “While the court dismissed the racial discrimination claim, it is critical to recognize that the sex discrimination claim will proceed under federal civil rights law.

“Let me be clear: the dismissal of the racial discrimination claim does not erase the undeniable truth of what we witnessed.

“Targeting a young Black student over his hair—a deeply rooted expression of culture, identity, and heritage—is racial discrimination, whether the courts acknowledge it or not.”