Alia Beard Rau

The Republic | azcentral.com

Arizona Sen. Carlyle Begay, who is Navajo, is pushing legislation to prevent student athletes from being forced to remove a religious or cultural hair piece to participate in school sports.

Last month, an Arizona Interscholastic Association referee ordered several Flagstaff High School girls basketball players to remove the traditional Navajo hair buns they were wearing before a game against Phoenix's Greenway High School.

The referee was criticized by the Navajo community and school officials.

AIA, which oversees high-school sports, later apologized and said the buns will be allowed in the future. But Begay, a Republican lawmaker from Ganado, introduced Senate Bill 1219 to make sure that's the case.

The bill forbids a school district governing board, charter school or interscholastic athletic association from preventing a student from wearing religious or cultural accessories or hair pieces while participating in extracurricular or athletic activities, as long as it doesn't pose a safety issue.

"It just clarifies some ambiguity in the language and gives the AIA some direction," Begay said. "It's a way to make sure we are very aware of the diversity of communities we have throughout the state, especially Native American communities and the rich heritage they have."

Begay said the buns were worn as part of a Native American cultural night. They are typically worn low on the neck and tied up with colorful string or yarn. Sometimes lengths of yarn dangle from the bun, which is called a tsiiyéél.

AIA rules prohibit hair accessories that could be a safety issue, but leaves that open to some interpretation.

"I just wish people would use common sense," said Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, who supported the bill.

She said the wording would still prevent a student from wearing a headpiece that could be dangerous.

"It can't be this big old thing," she said. "If they're playing football, it can't be something that is a danger to anybody."

Sen. Lynne Pancrazi, D-Tucson, supported the bill but said she was concerned it was overly broad and could allow students to wear something that could be offensive.

"High-school kids come up with some of the weirdest stuff," she said. "I can't imagine that the coaches would allow it, but you never know."

AIA lobbyist Barry Aarons registered as neutral on the bill. The Arizona Education Association is supporting it. The Senate unanimously passed the bill Tuesday, and it now goes to the House for consideration.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Referee barring Native American hair buns in basketball game causes uproar