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Texas Black Teen Stops Attending School After Ban On Braided Or Twisted Hair

Published

3 years ago

May 1, 2022

Texas School’s Braided Hair Ban Stops Black Teen From Attending Classes

The mother of a Black male teen says his new school’s ban on braided or twisted hair has prevented him from attending school.

Dyree Williams,17, a high school track athlete from Ohio, recently moved to East Bernard, Texas, in February and learned East Bernard High School’s dress code policy banned braided and twisted hairstyles for students.

According to CNN,the school’s handbook states, “Boy’s hair may not extend below the eyebrows, below the tops of the ears or below a conventional standup shirt collar, and must not be more than one-inch difference in the length of the hair on the side to the length of the hair on top.”

Dyree Williams tried to enroll in 67% white @EastBernardISD when his family moved to Texas.

He couldn’t. Why?

They have rules against his braids, which are part of his culture, and a buncha other tyrannical policies.

This school gets millions, by state force – it shouldn’t. pic.twitter.com/1fLY7XMTWm

— Jeremiah.exe (@JeremiahEXE) April 29, 2022

However, his mother, Desiree Bullock, says changing his hairstyle to appease school policy is not an option.

Bullock hoped the school would allow her son to attend with his hairstyle after seeing him in person, but the administration told them to refer to the school’s handbook. She even applied for a religious exemption, but the East Bernard School District denied her request.

“Assuming the children can meet the dress code requirements, as well as all necessary paperwork for enrollment, they are welcome to enroll with our district registrar. Please contact the registrar to make an appointment for enrollment. If you have any specific questions regarding the dress code, please contact the campus principal.” Courtney Hudgins said in an email to Bullock.

Bullock states she hasn’t a specific reason why the religious exemption was denied. ACLU Attorney Brian Klosterboer also said the school’s dress code used the coded language since braided and twisted hairstyles are banned from the school.

“The policy contains explicit gender discrimination that recent court decisions have found to be unconstitutional and violate Title IX, and it also explicitly bans ‘braided hair or twisted rows/strands,’ which is a proxy for race discrimination and disproportionately harms Black students in the district.”