Gaithersburg Muslim Athlete May Compete Wearing Religious Head Covering

GAITHERSBURG, MD — The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association announced a change to a rule that once required high school students to provide "documented evidence" of a request to wear religious attire during sports games Monday. The new policy now lets student athletes wear religious attire during sports, as long as the garment is not "abrasive, hard, or dangerous to any player/others," according to the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA).

Head coverings, wraps and other religious garments are included in this exception to uniform standards.

The policy change occurred after a highly controversial incident where a Muslim student at Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg was prevented from playing in a basketball game because of her religious head scarf, or hijab, in March.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Maryland Outreach Manager Dr. Zainab Chaudry said Monday, "We welcome this change in policy, which will enable more Muslim high school students – as well as students of other faiths – to participate in athletic activities.

The 16-year-old Watkins Mill High School junior named Ja'Nan Hayes was barred from her final varsity basketball game when officials at the game cited the rarely-enforced rule that requires students to present documented evidence to prove they requested to wear religious attire during games.

Hayes wasn't allowed to compete in the game against Oxon Hill High, although she had played wearing a hijab all season. The rule is enforced at the state level, and comes from the National Federation of State High School Associations.

See Related:

• Muslim Dress Gets Gaithersburg Player Barred From Basketball Game
• Religious Head Garb Rule Change Sought By Montgomery County Schools

According to WTOP, Hayes joined her other teammates at the regional finals in Prince George's County. Hayes' coach usually puts her in during the fourth quarter, but Hayes sat on the bench for the entire game.

“My coach had pulled me aside, and she had said that she was sorry that I couldn’t play. But there was a state rule saying that I have to have a letter to play with my hijab on,” said Hayes.

The varsity basketball coach coach, Donita Adams, told WTOP that three minutes before the game started, a referee told her that Hayes would not be able to participate unless she had a religious exemption letter from the state to wear religious headgear during the game.

“I didn’t agree with what was going on. She played all 24 games and then on the 25th game she wasn’t able to play,” said Adams. “We’re just trying to figure out why there needs to be documentation and for what cause, because everyone deserves to play.”

Adams also said that on Ash Wednesday, multiple girls on the basketball team took the court with an ashen cross on their foreheads. They were not prevented from playing.

"Religion should never be a factor in the ability to play sports," Chaudry said. "We encourage the National Federation of State High School Associations, of which MPSSAA is a member, to adopt a similar policy change."

The Montgomery County Board of Education voted unanimously March 17 to send a letter to the MPSSAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations asking to change the rule.

"This letter shows that we are in support of diversity, and respect all religions and backgrounds," school board member Patricia O'Neill, who spearheaded the effort, said. "We want to make sure that all students... who have certain attire based on their faiths are not prevented from engaging in extracurricular activities.

A MPSSAA spokesperson Bill Reinhard said the organization disagrees with the referee's actions.

“High school athletics in Maryland has a strong and stable tradition of providing safe, meaningful and equitable participation for students,” Reinhard said. “Unfortunately, the officials made a strict interpretation of the National Federation of State High Schools playing rules for basketball instead of the spirit of the rule designed to ensure safety and competitive fairness."

"There should have been no denial of participation, and we are committed to working with the school and the family to ensure this does not happen again," Reinhard said.

Photo: CAIR