In January, when track and field athletes from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Washington, D.C., traveled to the Montgomery Invitational in nearby Landover, Md., Head Coach Tony Bowden was expecting a great performance from one of his star runners. Senior Juashaunna Kelly was named the 2007 Gatorade girls' cross country runner of the year in the District of Columbia, and going into the meet, she had the fastest mile and two-mile times of any girl in D.C. What Bowden didn't expect was that Kelly wouldn't be allowed to run at all.

A Muslim, Kelly wears a unitard under her uniform that covers her head, arms, and legs. As she warmed up, an official told her she was in violation of NFHS uniform rules. The official and Kelly were unable to come to an agreement on how to modify the unitard, and Kelly didn't run.

In the aftermath, there was disagreement about what caused Kelly's disqualification. Bowden claims an opposing coach first challenged her right to wear a head covering while competing, and media reports were quick to charge meet officials with religious discrimination. The officials, however, insist their concern was with the fact that the unitard was not a solid color, as required by NFHS rules. The NFHS issued a statement supporting the disqualification and stressing that the color, not the head covering, was the problem.

What is clear, however, is that Kelly's disqualification put a spotlight on a growing issue. More Muslim female student-athletes are choosing to participate in their sports while covered, and coaches and athletic directors need to be prepared to handle the questions that inevitably arise.

At Fordson High School in Dearborn, Mich., where there is a high percentage of Muslim residents, it's not uncommon to see female athletes participate in traditional coverings. Athletic Director Mike Shooshanian believes the first step in successfully supporting them is to understand and respect their choice.

"Competing while covered is a big step for these athletes," he says. "It makes them different, and in high school, doing anything differently from your peers draws attention. It's not an easy choice, and we give them credit for doing it. Our stance is that this is their religious right and we will support them in any way we can."

For Daryl Tillman, Athletic Director at Roosevelt, Kelly's request to compete covered was a first. His initial step was to meet with her and her family to learn more. "I believed it was essential to do everything possible to respect her religion and her right to practice it," he says. "We spent time talking with Juashaunna so she could educate us. If other athletic directors encounter this, I recommend they immediately talk to the athlete and parents to get a better understanding of their culture and history before you start trying to make adjustments."

Shooshanian makes sure his coaches are prepared to advocate for their covered athletes. Each season, he appeals to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) for uniform waivers documenting the athletes' right to wear head coverings, pants, and long sleeves, and he makes sure coaches carry the waivers to competitions.

He also suggests addressing the issue with coaches and administrators within your league. "Even though we've had athletes competing covered for 15 years, we've been getting more questions recently about whether their uniforms are legal, so I brought it up at a recent athletic directors' meeting," he says. "I believe the questions may be a result of what's going on in the world today, but regardless, we needed to get everybody on the same page.

"I told the group that we obtain a variance from our state association so it's completely legal," he continues. "I also stressed that in 15 years, I have never seen a safety issue arise because of the uniform changes. I asked them to support these athletes in their choice, and I think talking about it has helped."

Both Tillman and Shooshanian believe more written policies would help put questions surrounding the issue to rest. The NFHS says it allows long sleeves and pants as well as head coverings--as long as they aren't dangerous to other athletes or likely to come off during competitions--but it doesn't have a rule specifically addressing the subject. Many coaches and officials are thus unclear on whether the clothing is allowed.

Shooshanian has been working with the MHSAA to get a written rule in place. "Every year I apply for the waivers, and every year the MHSAA grants them," he says. "So I asked, 'With more Muslims playing and wearing the clothing, why can't we simply write a rule that explicitly says it's allowed?' The state association told me the rule would have to be written at the NFHS level and that they would work with the NFHS on it."

"A policy that directly addresses Muslim attire would certainly help," Tillman says. "If the issue was out in the open and everybody had a clear understanding of the rules, that would eliminate situations like what happened to Juashaunna. For now, individual leagues could begin to draft policies that describe how the issue is going to be handled within their member schools. But a ruling by the NFHS addressing the issue would be even better."