Letters to the Editor: Texas schools have a lot more to worry about than a student's hair style

Barbers Hill High School junior Darryl George, who has been suspended because of his hair style, is seen on Sept. 18, 2023. ((Michael Wyke / Associated Press))

To the editor: Let me get this straight — a judge in Texas has upheld the suspension of 11th-grader Darryl George, preventing him from attending school because his hair would be too long if he wore it down instead of braided up.

Meanwhile, Texas has very lax gun laws. According to the Giffords Law Center, a gun-control advocacy group, Texas’ gun-death rate is 15.7 per 100,000 people, ranking it 25th out of the 50 states. California, which the group praises for its gun laws, has a gun-death rate of 8.7, ranking it 44th out of 50 states.

Maybe Texans need to look at something other than a student’s hair length to see if he should not be going to school. How is this student doing? Is he acting appropriately in and out of the classroom?

People can express themselves how they want, with their hair and how they dress. Texas should concentrate instead on its gun problems.

Meanwhile, I hope someone with money steps up for Darryl George and pays for him to attend a private school that will let him wear his hair as he prefers.

Barbara Azrialy, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: So, according to Barbers Hill Independent School District Supt. Greg Poole, “being an American requires conformity.”

I guess that it would surprise him to learn that many founding fathers and American presidents would be violating the Barbers Hill dress code were they alive today because their hair went past their earlobes and collars.

“Conformity,” in this case, is just another code word for racist policies.

Leslie Stem, Gardena

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.