Signed by Governor Ralph Northam

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires school dress codes to accommodate religious, ethnic, and culturally specific styles.

Highlights:

• Defines “dress or grooming code” as any practice, policy, or portion of a code of student conduct adopted by a school board that governs or restricts the attire, appearance, or grooming, including hairstyle, of any enrolled student (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Board of Education to establish guidelines and develop model policies for codes of student conduct to aid local school boards in the implementation of such policies, including standards for dress or grooming codes and standards for reducing bias and harassment in the enforcement of any code of student conduct (Sec. 1).

• Requires any dress or grooming code included in a school board’s code of student conduct to (Sec. 1):

• Permit any student to wear any religiously and ethnically specific or significant head covering or hairstyle, including hijabs, yarmulkes, headwraps, brads, locs, and cornrows;

• Maintain gender neutrality by subjecting any student to the same set of rules and standards regardless of gender;

• Not have a disparate impact on students of a particular gender;

• Be clear, specific, and objective in defining terms, if used; 

• Prohibit any school board employee from enforcing the dress or grooming code by direct physical contact with a student or a student’s attire; and

• Prohibit any school board employee from requiring a student to undress in front of any other individual to comply with the dress or grooming code.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires school dress codes to accommodate religious, ethnic, and culturally specific styles.

Highlights:

• Defines “dress or grooming code” as any practice, policy, or portion of a code of student conduct adopted by a school board that governs or restricts the attire, appearance, or grooming, including hairstyle, of any enrolled student (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Board of Education to establish guidelines and develop model policies for codes of student conduct to aid local school boards in the implementation of such policies, including standards for dress or grooming codes and standards for reducing bias and harassment in the enforcement of any code of student conduct (Sec. 1).

• Requires any dress or grooming code included in a school board’s code of student conduct to (Sec. 1):

• Permit any student to wear any religiously and ethnically specific or significant head covering or hairstyle, including hijabs, yarmulkes, headwraps, brads, locs, and cornrows;

• Maintain gender neutrality by subjecting any student to the same set of rules and standards regardless of gender;

• Not have a disparate impact on students of a particular gender;

• Be clear, specific, and objective in defining terms, if used; 

• Prohibit any school board employee from enforcing the dress or grooming code by direct physical contact with a student or a student’s attire; and

• Prohibit any school board employee from requiring a student to undress in front of any other individual to comply with the dress or grooming code.

Full Bill Text