Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Illinois schools soon won’t be able to ban students from wearing traditionally Black hairstyles thanks to a West Side mom’s fight and a bill headed for the governor’s desk.
Officially called the Jett Hawkins Law, the new rule will call on the Illinois State Board of Education to complete a review of school handbooks and policies to ensure they don’t single out and ban Black hairstyles like cornrows, locs and braids. Schools that don’t comply will face funding cuts and may lose their recognition with the Illinois State Board of Education.
Legislation prohibiting hair discrimination in Illinois schools moves to House floor
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The proposal to prohibit hair discrimination in Illinois public and private schools passed out of a House Education Policy Committee Tuesday.
Sponsor Greg Harris (D-Chicago) recently filed an amendment to the bill to rename the proposal to honor Jett Hawkins. The 4-year-old boy from Chicago was excited to put his hair in braids. However, his elementary school said it violated the school dress code.
This proposal says schools cannot prohibit hairstyles traditionally associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture. Jett’s mother, Ida Nelson, said the current policy makes students feel “something about them must be fixed.”