Texas district alters homecoming queen’s hair colour in photo

HOUSTON – A Houston-area school district has apologized for altering a high school homecoming queen’s purple hair in a photo.

Ebony Smith was crowned North Shore Senior High School’s homecoming queen last month.

Galena Park Independent School District shared a photo of Smith online last week in which her hair had been altered to appear brown.

Smith says the image was poorly edited and embarrassing.

The school district has apologized for posting the altered photo and has since replaced it with a black-and-white version of the picture.

The district’s student handbook says bright hair colours are unacceptable in the classroom, but Smith planned to dye her hair brown after homecoming.

Smith’s mother, Tameasha Watkins, says the situation is upsetting because the district changed her daughter’s appearance.