SB1446 Summary

• State Board of Education must make available resource materials by July 1, 2024, regarding students wearing or accessorizing graduation attire with items associated with cultural, ethnic, religious identity, or other protected characteristics under the Illinois Human Rights Act.

• School board dress code policies cannot prohibit students from wearing or accessorizing graduation attire with items associated with their cultural, ethnic, religious identity, or other protected characteristics.

• Existing prohibitions on dress codes that include hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture (including braids, locks, and twists) are maintained.

• Local school councils are similarly prohibited from adopting dress codes that restrict students' rights to wear or accessorize graduation attire with identity-related items or that discriminate based on protected characteristics.

• School uniforms and dress codes must include procedures to assist students from indigent families in complying with policies and cannot be enforced against transfer students during a reasonable period to acquire compliant attire.