A family of Black high school student in Texas, in the United States, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Saturday against Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney-General Ken Paxton over his suspension by his school district for his hairstyle.
Darryl George, a 17-year-old junior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, has been serving an in-school suspension since August 31 at the Houston-area school.
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School officials said his dreadlocks fall below his eyebrows and ear lobes which has breached the district’s dress code.
George’s mother, Darresha George, and the family’s attorney denied the teenager’s hairstyle violateed the dress code, saying his hair was neatly tied in twisted dreadlocks on top of his head.
The lawsuit accuses Abbott and Paxton of failing to enforce the CROWN Act, a new state law outlawing racial discrimination based on hairstyles.
George’s supporters alleged the ongoing suspension by the Barbers Hill Independent School District violates the law, which took effect September 1.
The lawsuit alleges Abbott and Paxton, in their official duties, have failed to protect Darryl George’s constitutional rights against discrimination and against violations of his freedom of speech and expression.
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George “should be permitted to wear his hair in the manner in which he wears it … because the so-called neutral grooming policy has no close association with learning or safety and when applied, disproportionately impacts Black males,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed in Houston federal court by George’s mother, was the latest legal action taken related to the suspension.
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On Tuesday, Darresha and her attorney filed a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency, alleging Darryl was being harassed and mistreated by school district officials over his hair and that his in-school suspension is in violation of the CROWN Act.
They alleged that during his suspension, George was forced to sit for eight hours on a stool and that he was being denied the hot free lunch he was qualified to receive.
According to CBS, the agency is investigating the complaint.
The boy’s mother said she was recently hospitalised after a series of panic and anxiety attacks brought on by stress related to her son’s suspension.
On Wednesday, the school district filed its lawsuit in state court asking a judge to clarify whether its dress code restrictions limiting student hair length for boys violates the CROWN Act.
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Barbers Hill Superintendent Greg Poole has said he believed the dress code was legal and that it taught students to conform as a sacrifice benefiting everyone.
The school district said it would not enhance the current punishment against Darryl George while it waits for a ruling on its lawsuit.
Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk, has disclosed that he is forming a third political party, which he called the ‘America Party,’ after a dramatic falling out with Donald Trump over a tax and spending bill recently signed into law by the President.
Musk, who was the largest individual donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, worked with the current US President as the lead of his cost-cutting government agency—the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—until his recent resignation.
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After bowing out of the DOGE role, Tribune Online reports that Musk started criticizing Trump’s “big beautiful bill” because of estimates that he said would add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit.
Speaking via his X social media platform, Musk said, “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.”
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Musk, a former ‘first buddy’ of the US President, declared that the new party is for freedom: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
Meanwhile, Musk’s rift with President Trump last month after intense criticism of the spending bill appeared to have cooled after Musk regretted and deleted the most incendiary posts he made linking Trump with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and calling for the President’s impeachment. According to Musk, those posts ‘went too far.’
However, the world’s richest man reignited the feud over the last several days as the bill neared passage and eventually passed by the House before it was subsequently signed at a White House ceremony.
According to CNN, the extent to which Musk has taken steps to legally form the party is unclear, as party formation requires registering with the Federal Election Commission. The most recent FEC filings showed no indication that this has happened, CNN reports.
The owner of X, who has made threats during the social media scuffle with Trump, had indicated he wants a party that is fiscally conservative and reins in spending, but has offered few other details about what the party’s platform would be.
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While Musk and Trump reportedly share similar views on contemporary social issues, the former has argued the Republican policy agenda will increase the debt, calling it “debt slavery.”
The two-party system in the United States has long been criticized by both registered Democrats and registered Republicans, but efforts in the last century to form a third party have shown little success. Billionaire Ross Perot ran for president as an independent in 1992, winning nearly a fifth of the popular vote, but carried no states in the election, which was won by Bill Clinton.
Australian actor Julian McMahon, best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck, Charmed, and Fantastic Four, has died at the age of 56.
McMahon passed away in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday following a private battle with cancer.
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His death was confirmed in a statement released on Friday by his wife, Kelly.
The statement read,”With an open heart, I share with the world that Julian McMahon, my beloved husband, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.
In a nod to his family’s legacy, he portrayed an Australian prime minister in the Netflix drama ‘The Residence.’
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McMahon’s career spanned decades, earning him international recognition for his roles as Dr. Christian Troy in ‘Nip/Tuck’, Cole Turner in ‘Charmed’, and Victor Von Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’.
He was married three times, including a high-profile marriage to Australian singer and actress Dannii Minogue, sister of pop icon Kylie Minogue.
An eight-year-old boy has been rescued in Thailand after authorities discovered him living among dogs and only able to communicate by barking.
According to Dailymail on Friday, the boy, whose name has been withheld, was found on Monday during a welfare check at a ramshackle, drug-infested house in Lap Lae District, Uttaradit Province.
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Local reports say the child had been living with his mother, 46, and his 23-year-old brother, both of whom tested positive for drug use after a police raid.
Neighbours revealed that the family had long been isolated from the community, and the boy had no contact with other children. Instead, he spent his days with the family’s six dogs, which he reportedly mimicked.
“He didn’t speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see,” said Paveena Hongsakul, president of the activist foundation which worked with police on the rescue.
Authorities said the boy had only attended school once, despite his mother receiving government stipends of around 400 baht (£9) meant to support his education.
“His mother hasn’t allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education,” Hongsakul explained. “After getting the money, she simply kept him at home.”
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Neighbours were said to have forbidden their children from playing with the young boy due to the family’s behaviour.
The mother was reportedly known in the area for begging at temples and has now been charged with drug use.
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A local teacher described the boy’s environment as a “red zone for drugs” and said that neighbours forbade their children from interacting with him.
‘The house is in a red zone for drugs,’ one teacher explained. ”The boy had no one, just the dogs to play with.”
The disturbing situation came to light after a headteacher raised the alarm, prompting activists and police to raid the house on June 30.
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Images shared in Thai media showed authorities at the shack surrounded by trees and several dogs.
Following the rescue, the boy was taken to a children’s home, where he will receive medical and psychological care.
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Ms Hongsakul, of the Foundation for Children and Women, will work with authorities to ensure the child receives continuous education, and her organisation will monitor his progress.
Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
“The boy will be given a chance at a good life. We’ll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs,”she said.
Cases of so-called “feral children”, youngsters raised with little or no human contact, are extremely rare but often highlight the severe consequences of neglect.
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Experts cite the example of Oxana Malaya, a Ukrainian girl found in 1991 living with dogs after her parents abandoned her. Though she eventually learned to speak and reintegrated into society, she still struggled with some developmental challenges.
Authorities in Thailand say they are committed to giving the rescued boy a fresh start and the chance to live a normal life.