ACLU says some Valley schools violated state dress code law

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas on Wednesday sent letters to five Rio Grande Valley school districts alleging that their dress code policies violate the Texas CROWN Act.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law — which prohibits discrimination in schools, workplaces and housing authorities over hair textures or protective hairstyles — in 2023.

The letters were sent to the superintendents of the Harlingen, Raymondville, La Feria, La Villa and Roma school districts.

The Texas CROWN Act stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair” and “prohibits schools, workplaces, and housing authorities from discriminating against hair textures or protective hairstyles commonly or historically associated with race such as afros, cornrows, braids or locs,” the ACLU of Texas said.

Chloe Kempf, an attorney with the ACLU of Texas, said in a news release that the organization identified more than 50 districts in Texas that they say are in violation of the legislation.

“All Texas school districts — including those that we have identified — must immediately comply with the Texas CROWN Act,” Kempf said in the release. “Not only is it the law — but it’s essential for ensuring that students of color are free to be themselves and to express their racial and cultural identity at school.

“All students, no matter their race, religion, gender, or how they wear their hair, deserve to feel welcome at school, without the threat of discriminatory dress codes.”

All of the Valley school districts targeted by the ACLU of Texas — with the exception of La Feria — responded to requests for comment on the letters.

In its letter to the Harlingen school district, the ACLU of Texas said the district was violating the legislation because its dress code includes language that deems “excessively bushy hair” as an inappropriate hair style.

Harlingen Deputy Superintendent Veronica Kortan confirmed Thursday afternoon that the district received the ACLU of Texas’ letter.

Kortan said the district will treat the organization’s concern like it does any other concern brought to the district.

She said that HCISD will do a review and if the district realizes it needs to change practices or policies, then the district will do so.

The issue taken by the ACLU of Texas with the Raymondville school district has to do with cornrows.

“The style and color must not (be) extreme to the point of creating a distraction. Some examples, but not all, of such are … cornrows,” Raymondville ISD’s dress code policy reads, according to the ACLU of Texas.

Benjamin Castillo, an attorney representing the district, said in a statement that Raymondville ISD is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all of its students.

“In response to recent inquiries and in accordance with the Texas CROWN Act, the district is currently reviewing its dress code policy to ensure full compliance with state law and to uphold principles of non-discrimination concerning hair textures and protective hairstyles,” Castillo’s statement reads.

Castillo said Raymondville ISD evaluates all disciplinary actions on a case-by-case basis per Texas Education Code rules.

“Final actions are taken in accordance with state law and local board policies to ensure fairness and equality for all students,” Castillo wrote. “Raymondville ISD stands firmly against any form of discrimination and is committed to maintaining an environment that respects all cultural expressions.”

Deputy Superintendent Benjamin Clinton also said he can confirm that no district student was disciplined last year for having cornrows and that “our student dress code has since been updated.”

Over at the Roma school district, the ACLU of Texas had alleged that the district prohibited: “Boys hair styles worn longer in the back than in the bottom of a traditional shirt collar, or longer on the sides than the ear,” meaning no cornrows.

In a statement, Roma ISD said the language cited by the ACLU of Texas in the letter was an error included in a quick reference guide.

“The person who created the document, which is concerning the high school dress code for a Roma ISD Back to School Information site, used an old file with incorrect language. It was an error and one we have quickly addressed,” the statement read.

Roma ISD thanked the ACLU of Texas for alerting it to the problem so it could address the error.

“The school and district do allow students to wear hair styles their families deem appropriate,” the statement read.

It further reads that the district understands it’s important to keep posted documents with policies accurate and up to date.

“We are committed to working closely with our schools to ensure all their policy information is up to date and correct,” the statement reads. “We apologize for the error and will work to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

La Villa ISD Superintendent Robert Munoz, when reached by email Wednesday evening, said the district will begin reviewing its dress code Thursday and make changes to reflect the new law.

“We had discussed this scenario last year and knew that if parents pursue legal actions we will probably not be successful. Our district has many young men and ladies who fit this criteria and no actions have been taken by (the) administration,” Munoz wrote. “Our goal is we want our kids in the classroom and not lose any instructional time. We will review the dress code tomorrow and make changes that reflect our new laws.”

The ACLU of Texas said La Feria ISD’s dress code policy of prohibiting “dreads, braids/French braids [for boys]” violates the Texas CROWN Act.

An attempt to reach La Feria ISD was not successful. The district does not include emails or phone numbers on its website for the superintendent or for its communications director.

Instead there is a media request jot form. The district did not respond to a request for comment submitted through that form.