Two North Texas charter schools are accused of being in violation of the Texas CROWN Act in their current dress codes.
The 2023 law prohibits schools, workplaces, and housing authorities from discriminating against hair textures or protective hairstyles associated with race.
Advantage Academy and Newman International Academy are among the 51 school districts that received letters from the ACLU of Texas warning them that their dress codes or grooming policies appear to discriminate against students and leave the districts vulnerable to legal or administrative challenges.
“In addition to being unlawful, dress and grooming codes that violate the Texas CROWN Act harm your district’s students,” the letter reads. “Policies like these are rooted in racist standards of professionalism and respectability, and they marginalize many students of color by failing to recognize the racial and cultural significance of their hairstyles.”
Advantage Academy – which has schools in Dallas, Grand Prairie and Waxahachie -- is in the process of partnering with Village Tech School and will absorb its dress code policy this upcoming school year.
David Williams is the Village Tech superintendent. He told KERA in a statement that all Village Tech campuses will follow the long-established policies and procedures that abide by the CROWN Act and that “[w]e believe in giving students a voice and that includes in their appearance.”
KERA reached out to Newman International Academy for comment and received no response.
The ACLU of Texas asked the districts to revise their policies for the 2024-25 school year to ensure students’ constitutional right to self-expression and equal treatment are upheld.
Zara Amaechi is KERA’s Marjorie Welch Fitts Louis fellow covering race and social justice. Got a tip? Email Zara at zamaechi@kera.org. You can follow her on X @amaechizara.
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