Proposed dress and grooming changes add protections for protective hairstyles under Crown Act

Dr. Williams presented proposed amendments to Policy 221 (dress and grooming) at the May 7 policy committee meeting, saying the changes add explicit nondiscrimination protections for protective hairstyles and religious head coverings.

"The changes in this policy simply include the equity and nondiscrimination protections for students such as protective hairstyles, including locks, braids, twists, afros, etcetera," Dr. Williams said. He added that the revisions reinforce compliance with updated state anti‑discrimination laws and are in alignment with similar district policies across Pennsylvania.

When a committee member asked whether the wording came from "PNN," Dr. Williams confirmed it did: "PNN. Directly from PNN," and the transcript records him clarifying that PNN refers to the policy network. Dr. Williams also identified the applicable state law as the Crown Act and said the proposed policy language is intended to align district practice with that law.

The committee did not record a vote on Policy 221 during the meeting; the presentation was conducted as part of the committee's first readings for the evening and discussion focused on source material and statutory alignment.