Senate clears bill allowing religious headwear and modesty accommodations in K–12 athletics

The Utah Senate passed House Bill 163, a bill that requires K–12 entities to permit students to wear religious headwear and to allow modesty-related accommodations to athletic uniforms.

Sponsor Senator Collimore said the bill "protects students' religious freedoms by doing 2 key things": allowing religious headwear or clothing for athletic participation and empowering students to request uniform accommodations for personal standards of modesty. He said the measure responds to specific incidents in public education and that a resolution supporting the principle had passed previously.

Senators recorded support on the floor and noted organizational backing; the Utah Muslim Civic League was present in the gallery and was explicitly recognized by a senator. The bill passed the Senate by voice and roll-call; the clerk recorded a tally of 23 yeas, 0 nays, and 6 absent. The presiding officer said HB163 would be signed by the president pro tem in open session and returned to the House for the speaker’s signature.

Supporters framed the bill as a narrow accommodation to protect students’ ability to participate in athletics while observing religious or modesty standards. Floor statements indicated the bill is intended to clarify practice for K–12 schools and prevent future conflicts over uniform rules.