CHICAGO — A new Illinois law signed Friday by Gov. JB Pritzker prevents hair discrimination in school dress codes.
The bill prohibits school uniform and dress code policies from restricting hairstyles that have been historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture. According to a release from Pritzker’s office, that includes braids, locks, and twists.
The bill also requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to provide schools with educational resource materials to teach about protective hairstyles.
“Nobody should be made to feel ‘less than’ for how they express themselves – so in Illinois, we’re making it so school uniform and dress code policies in Illinois cannot prohibit or restrict hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture,” said Pritzker.
SB 817, also known as the Jett Hawkins Law, is in response to a four-year-old boy in Chicago, Gus “Jett” Hawkins, who was told his braids were in violation of the school dress code.
His mother, Ida Nelson, began raising awareness on the negative impacts of stigmatizing children’s hair and the impact it can have on their educational development.
“For us, this is bigger than just hair,” said Nelson. “Our hair is an extension of who we are as a race and is deeply connected to our cultural identity.”
SB 817 is effective Jan. 1, 2022.
