MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (1010 WINS/ WCBS 880 NEWS) – During a girls' basketball game, a Columbia High School player was barred from playing due to her beaded hairstyle last week, prompting her coach and the South Orange and Maplewood School District to file a complaint with the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) on Monday.
The use of hair beads by players in the past had never been an issue, raising questions about the sudden enforcement at this game, Coach Aaron Breitman told 1010 WINS.
The player was told to tighten her hair, which she did but a coach from the opposing team was not satisfied during the game on Jan. 4.
"She was embarrassed that it was happening to her and that somebody else was kind of dictating that she could or could not play," Breitman said. "I know she's worn them in the past and I know other girls on my teams here at CHS have worn beads in the past."
The South Orange & Maplewood School District's athletic director, Richard Porfido, discussed with the referee the rule changes that allowed hair adornments in all sports, leading to the referee allowing the Columbia player to rejoin the game in the second quarter.
"It seems pretty discriminatory to me and I don't want to throw accusations, but this one girl was singled out and I just don't think that it's appropriate to do that to anybody, let alone a child," Breitman said.
The South Orange and Maplewood School District announced that they filed a complaint.
The situation gained attention in the context of New Jersey's "Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act" (CROWN Act), signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy in 2019.
The CROWN Act was enacted following an incident where Buena wrestler Andrew Johnson was forced to cut his dreadlocks by referee Alan Maloney.
"We have to stand up for our student-athletes and protect their ability to participate in athletics and activities as their best selves," Kevin F. Gilbert, Acting Superintendent of the South Orange and Maplewood School District, said in a statement released on Monday. "That is why we are filing an official complaint of this bias incident with the state authorities who govern high school sports. It is evident by this incident that we still have a long way to go in making sure every referee, coach, administrator, and student-athlete understands that disqualifying student-athletes because of how they wear their hair is discrimination."
1010 WINS contacted the NJSIAA for a comment, but they have not yet responded.
