Houston-area school district suspends gender-based provisions of its dress code after being sued
The Magnolia Independent School District has suspended enforcement of gender-specific provisions in its dress code policy for all students until further notice amid pending litigation that argues the rules discriminate against boys who have long hair.
On Thursday, District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal granted a preliminary injunction that expanded relief to all Magnolia ISD students, including six boys and one nonbinary student who are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas in a recent lawsuit against the Houston-area school district over its gender-based dress code policy. Rosenthal had granted a previous injunction that offered relief to only four of the seven plaintiffs.
The ACLU of Texas accused the district of violating students equal protection under the 14th Amendment as well as Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education settings.