Texas high school bans all-black uniforms over 'mental health and crime'

Students at a Texas high school have new restrictions on how they can dress for the first day of school Monday, as a result of a dress code change that bans head-to-toe black clothing.

The change is taking effect at HE Charles High School, which is part of the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD), reports the Telegraph.

The school's principal, Nick DeSantis, claimed in a letter sent to parents reported by local media that the color black is "linked to depression and mental health issues" as well as "criminality".

The school's dress code from last school year, published in a handbook on its website, said students could wear polo shirts in the school colors of green, gray and black, and approved skirts of black or "brick" color, with blue jeans allowed on certain days.

"We already bought the black pants, so we have to buy the pants again," parent Fabiola Flores told local KFOX.

"They should ask. They [should] be like hey, what do you think? Like, we're thinking about it," Flores added. /Telegraph/