Updated to include statement from NJIAA below:

Last week during a varsity basketball game between South Orange-Maplewood (SOMA) and Caldwell-West Caldwell School District, a SOMA student-athlete, who is Black, was barred by referees from playing the first half because she wears beads in her hair.  Acting Superintendent Kevin Gilbert has filed a racial bias complaint with the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association because the state’s CROWN Act forbids racial discrimination. 

According to the  National Federation of State High School Associations, “beads and other hard objects are allowed in their hair so long as they’re secured.” After Columbia High School head coach Aaron Breitman showed the referees the rules, the student was allowed to play in the second half. 

“The student in question was clearly upset. She was embarrassed and the rest of the team was very confused,” Breitman said. “And in all honesty, it took away from the first quarter of the game. We started off very slow because the game was no longer our focus.”

Gilbert told the  Gothamist, “I was shocked when I learned that one of our very own student-athletes was subjected to the same discrimination that New Jersey’s CROWN Act was established to prevent.” Earlier in the game, the student had attempted to placate the referees by tying her hair back three different times.

The CROWN Act was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2019 and bans discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race. 

“Race-based discrimination will not be tolerated in the State of New Jersey,” Murphy wrote in a statement. “No one should be made to feel uncomfortable or be discriminated against because of their natural hair. I am proud to sign this law in order to help ensure that all New Jersey residents can go to work, school, or participate in athletic events with dignity.”

NJIAA Statement:

“The NJSIAA was notified, on Monday, January 8, of a potential bias incident at Columbia High School involving a student athlete who was prohibited from playing until officials were confident her hair beads were properly secured as per specific rules. The student athlete entered the game, at the coach’s discretion, in the second quarter with her hair securely fastened. 

Immediately after becoming aware of this matter, NJSIAA’s legal counsel alerted New Jersey’s Division on Civil Rights. In addition, NJSIAA has contacted everyone involved and is awaiting responses. While we understand the public’s interest in this matter, we hope everyone appreciates NJSIAA’s commitment to procedural fairness for all parties.  

NJSIAA is extremely concerned about matters of this sort and employs a range of tools to help mitigate bias incidents, including rules, training programs, and proactive messaging prior to every contest. Regarding hair adornments, religious items, and jewelry, NJSIAA actively supported the National Federation of High School Sports’ 2022 rules changes by distributing a series of related memos and videos to all member schools and officials, while also speaking directly with membership and officials.”