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Board workshop: district dress policies updated to reflect Pennsylvania CROWN Act
Summary
The policy committee reviewed revisions to student (Policy 221) and employee (Policy 303) dress and grooming policies to add protections from discrimination based on protective hairstyles and related religious dress per the Pennsylvania CROWN Act; the updates will be posted for public comment prior to a July vote.
At a June 15 policy workshop, district attorneys and administrators presented mirror changes to student and employee dress and grooming policies to comply with the Pennsylvania CROWN Act, which the presenters said took effect in January 2026.
Elizabeth Satler, the district attorney leading the discussion, said the student policy (Policy 221) will be updated to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on protective hairstyles such as locks, braids, twists, coils, bantu knots, afros and extensions and to include protections for religious hair coverings and hairstyles tied to creed. She said the employee policy (Policy 303) will mirror the student protections and that the district’s current dress/grooming language would be revised to include the expanded statutory definitions.
Board members acknowledged state lawmakers who sponsored the legislation and asked about timing and where the updated text will appear in the board packet. Satler confirmed the redline will be published for the public to review for 30 days before formal board consideration in July.
The district intends to apply the CROWN Act language across the code of conduct where appropriate, including harassment sections of the K–5 and 6–12 infraction guidelines. No vote occurred at the workshop; the item will be in the July materials for public comment and board action.
