AT A GLANCE
- Judson ISD approved new hair rules requiring students’ hair to be “neat and clean.” The policy allows school administrators to prohibit hairstyles considered “distracting” or “disruptive.”
- Trustees approved the dress code changes 6-0 despite concerns raised by IDRA and Texas Appleseed. Advocates warn the vague language could lead to discriminatory discipline against Black students.
- About 21% of Judson ISD students are Black, compared with roughly 8% of Bexar County residents.
- Judson ISD said campus principals, not individual teachers, will decide whether a hairstyle violates the policy.
Judson ISD Hair Policy Raises Discrimination Concerns for Black Students
A newly approved hair policy in Judson Independent School District is drawing scrutiny from advocates who warn that vague language about what constitutes “neat,” “clean” or “distracting” hair could disproportionately expose Black students to school discipline.
The Judson ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-0 on June 25 to approve changes to the district’s dress code, including new language stating that “Hair must be neat and clean” and that “Hairstyles and/or hair colors that are considered by school administration to be distracting and/or disruptive to the educational environment are prohibited.”
The previous policy stated that “Student hairstyles must be groomed appropriately and may not be a distraction to the educational environment.”
Advocates with Texas Appleseed and the Intercultural Development Research Association, or IDRA, say the revised wording remains subjective and could leave Black students vulnerable to unequal enforcement, particularly those who wear locs, twists, braids and other protective hairstyles.
Advocates Question Who Gets to Define ‘Neat and Clean’
“What are we defining as neat and clean, and who specifically within the district is making this determination?” Princess Jefferson, a fellow with Texas Appleseed, asked in an interview with Texas Public Radio.
“Is it other people of color, is it other Black people specifically? Because if the answer is no, then once again we are putting, particularly Black students, in a position where the cultural characteristics of our hair are wildly unrepresented and unconsidered.”
The concern carries particular weight in Judson ISD, where Black students make up about 21% of enrollment, according to state data cited by TPR. By comparison, about 8% of Bexar County residents are Black.
Before trustees voted, IDRA contacted Trustee Laura Stanford to raise concerns about the proposed policy.
“The requirement that students’ hairstyles be ‘neat’ and non-distracting is a subjective determination. Our concern is that this would expose students to unnecessary school discipline, especially for Black and Brown students who have curly, coily, or kinky hair textures,” the organization wrote, according to language IDRA Chief Legal Analyst Paige Duggins-Clay later shared with TPR.
Stanford pulled the dress code item for discussion during the June 25 meeting and questioned how consistently such a rule could be enforced.
“I agreed when I read it, but I’ve also since had feedback that that could be very subjective,” Stanford said. “You could feasibly have a student in one class that the teacher doesn’t consider distracting, (and another teacher in) another classroom that does so. How are we drawing that line? How are we making that determination?”
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Judson Administrators Defend Policy and Principal Oversight
District administrators responded that individual teachers would not have final authority to determine whether a hairstyle violates the policy. Those decisions would instead rest with campus principals.
“Oftentimes I understand that that could be discretionary. However, I trust that our administrators are going to be as diligent as possible in ensuring that everything is considered,” Deputy Superintendent Cecilia Davis said.
“I know that there are some biases that can occur, and that’s part of the training that we receive, but ultimately, if it becomes a distraction to the learning environment, we want to make sure that it is groomed, that it is clean, and that it is neat.”
During the meeting, Stanford also read an alternative proposed by IDRA: “Hair must be clean and styled to avoid causing safety or health hazards, distractions or disruptions in the educational setting.”
Trustee Stephanie Jones told TPR she believed the district’s proposed code already conveyed essentially the same standard.
“I think how it is worded on the code of conduct pretty much says that,” Jones said.
Deputy Superintendent Mary Duhart-Toppen also defended the district language, saying principals are trained to distinguish personal reactions from genuine disruptions to the educational environment.
“The time that we live in right now, you’ll see a little bit of everything on campuses,” Duhart-Toppen said. “A teacher can be offended because your hair is orange, but that is the norm at any of the campuses that you go on today.”
“I think that we train our principals well enough to know that you don’t take that step unless it is hindering the educational environment, if it is a safety issue,” she added. “So, I think spelling it out like that is not necessary, because I think the way it’s written right now is pretty clear.”
Trustees then approved the changes unanimously among those voting.
Black Hair and the Shadow of the Darryl George Case
For advocates, however, the debate goes beyond wording. Jefferson said protective hairstyles are often rooted in the specific needs of Black hair and should not be judged without cultural understanding.
“We wear our hair in various protective styles because breakage for our hair is just so common practice, whether we choose to wear locs, twists, braids, all of which come in various shapes and styles, and what may work for one person may not work for the other person in our community,” Jefferson said.
She also pointed to the racial makeup of Judson ISD’s Board of Trustees.
“I looked and saw that of all (seven of) the trustees, none of them are Black, so none of them can speak to what it’s like to grow up having Black hair, what it’s like to care for our hair,” Jefferson said.
Judson ISD has previously had Black trustees but currently does not. Earlier this year, the board fired Milton Fields, the district’s Black superintendent.
At the same time, Black administrators were involved in the district process. Duhart-Toppen, who addressed trustees during the meeting, is Black, as is Judson’s director of pupil services, who drafted the memo outlining the dress code changes.
TPR reported that two of Judson ISD’s 12 middle and high school principals are Black. Under the district’s explanation of the policy, campus principals would decide whether hair is considered neat or whether a hairstyle is distracting.
The dispute arrives against the backdrop of Texas’ continuing fight over Black hair in schools.
The state’s CROWN Act took effect in 2023 and prohibits discrimination based on hair texture or protective hairstyles associated with race, including styles such as braids, locs and twists. Yet the law has not ended disputes over school grooming policies.
Darryl George became the center of that debate after Barbers Hill ISD repeatedly disciplined him over the length of his tied and twisted locs. George spent much of his junior year outside his regular classroom setting. In 2024, a state judge ruled that the district’s hair-length restrictions did not violate the Texas CROWN Act, underscoring what critics say are gaps between legal protections and school grooming rules.
District Response Does Not Directly Address Protective Hairstyle Concern
In response to concerns from IDRA and Texas Appleseed, Judson ISD said its dress code is reviewed annually through a collaborative process that incorporates feedback from principals, teachers, parents and students.
The district also pointed to its Superintendent Student Advisory Council, which includes sophomores, juniors and seniors from each high school and provides student perspectives to the superintendent and district administrators.
“The council serves as a representative voice for students across the district, offering feedback on issues that impact school climate, student success, and equitable access to a safe learning environment,” the district said.
But when TPR specifically asked whether Black students could face discipline for protective hairstyles, the district’s statement did not directly address that concern.
For advocates, that unanswered question remains at the center of the controversy: When a school policy relies on words such as “neat,” “clean” and “distracting,” who ultimately gets to define what Black hair should look like?
