Hair-Based Race Discrimination Probe Into South Jersey School Resolved

SEWELL, NJ — A South Jersey school district reached an agreement with the state to resolve accusations of discrimination in its cosmetology program.

The Gloucester County Vocational-Technical School District had been accused of failing to instruct cosmetology students on styling Black and other textured hair, prompting the state to open an investigation into possible racial discrimination. But the public district and the state attorney general's office reached a legal agreement last week — school officials promised to instruct students in all styles of hair at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) in Sewell.

The agreement resolves the state's investigation, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

"New Jerseyans should be confident that cosmetology programs in our state are adequately preparing all students to be able to cut and style all hair types and textures," Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said Monday. "Today's agreement provides an important baseline for how cosmetology schools across our State can create more inclusive programs and better serve cosmetology patrons who have historically been marginalized or denied service."

District Superintendent Michael Dicken did not return comment to Patch.

The state defines "Black hair" as "any hair texture, type, or style closely or historically associated with being Black," including braids, twists and cornrows. Textured hair refers to wavy, curly and coily hair.

New Jersey prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race.

Per the legal arrangement, GCIT will ensure that 20 percent of its mannequins have Black hair. The school's cosmetology department will instruct all students to style all hair types and textures and teach them about the state's guidance on race discrimination in hairstyles.

It wasn't clear when the state began its investigation, which was resolved without the state's Division of Civil Rights (DCR) filing an official complaint. The Gloucester County vocational district fully cooperated with the DCR's investigation and took steps to address the agency's concerns, according to the legal agreement.

The agreement does not constitute an admission of fault or the discovery of any wrongdoing.

The Gloucester County Vocational-Technical School District serves students in Grades 9-12 and adults across the county.

About Hair-Based Discrimination

In December 2019, the state passed a law to clarify that racial discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of "traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles." The law's passage came a year after Andrew Johnson — a Black student who competed in wrestling for Buena Regional High School — was forced to cut off his dreadlocks to compete in a wrestling match.

New Jersey was the third state to outlaw such practices. As of June, 23 states have enacted their own versions of the CROWN Act, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. The "Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act" prohibits race-based hair discrimination.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a federal CROWN Act on a 235-189 vote in March 2022. But the measure never advanced out of the Senate.