As Amended by Senate Committee          

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Session of 2000
          SENATE BILL No. 368           By Senator Emert           9-1          

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11             AN  ACT concerning school districts; requiring relating to adoption of
12             dress code policies by boards of education.
13      
14       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
15             Section  1. (a) In order to provide an effective, orderly and disciplined
16       school environment free from unnecessary disruptions engendered by the
17       wearing of gang-related or other inappropriate clothing by pupils, and in
18       order to promote greater school pride and better behavior by pupils in
19       and out of the classroom, the board of education of each school district
20       shall may adopt a dress code policy that requires all pupils enrolled in
21       the district to wear uniforms or other standardized apparel at school
22       and at school supervised activities. A dress code policy adopted by a board
23       of education in accordance with the provisions of this section may require
24       district-wide uniforms or apparel or may authorize adoption by individ-
25       ual schools within the district of uniforms or apparel unique to each such
26       school.
27             (b) Any uniform selected under the dress code policy for the district
28       or for individual schools within the district shall be determined by the
29       board of education after affording ample opportunity for administrators,
30       teachers, school site councils and parents and guardians to offer sugges-
31       tions and comments.
32             (b) Within six months after the effective date of this act, and as
33       soon as practicable after affording ample opportunity for admin-
34       istrators, teachers, school site councils, parents, guardians and pu-
35       pils to offer suggestions and comments regarding the adoption of a
36       dress code policy in accordance with the provisions of this section,
37       the board of education of each school district shall call a special
38       meeting for the purpose of holding a public hearing regarding the
39       adoption of such a policy. At least 45 days prior to holding the
40       public hearing required by this subsection, a board of education
41       shall adopt a resolution specifying the purpose, time, date and place
42       of the public hearing and shall publish the resolution once in a
43       newspaper of general circulation in the school district. After hold-

2
  1       ing the public hearing and considering all of the suggestions, com-
  2       ments and testimony given with regard to the adoption of a dress
  3       code policy, a board of education shall make a final determination
  4       of the matter.
  5             (c) The dress code If the board of education determines that
  6       adoption of a dress code policy would be in the best interests of the
  7       school district, such policy shall include criteria and procedures for ac-
  8       commodation of:
  9             (1) Pupils whose parents or guardians object on religious or philo-
10       sophical grounds to the wearing of uniforms or certain other apparel
11       by such pupils if the parents or guardians present to the board of edu-
12       cation a signed statement of objection detailing the grounds for the
13       objection;
14             (2) pupils in the wearing of special clothing in observance of the re-
15       ligion or religious beliefs of such pupils;
16             (3) pupils transferring into the district or transferring from one school
17       to another school within the district during such period of time as is
18       reasonably necessary to enable such pupils to acquire the appropriate
19       uniform or other standardized apparel; and
20             (4) pupils who participate in nationally recognized youth organiza-
21       tions in the wearing of organization uniforms on days that the organization
22       has a meeting or other scheduled activity.
23             (d) Whenever the parents or guardian of any pupil are economically
24       disadvantaged and unable to purchase or otherwise acquire uniforms or
25       other standardized apparel required for the pupil, the board of edu-
26       cation shall furnish the pupil with uniforms or other required apparel
27       or shall provide the parents or guardian with financial assistance in the
28       acquisition of uniforms or other standardized apparel required for the
29       pupil.
30             (e) The adoption and enforcement of a dress code policy in accord-
31       ance with the provisions of this section shall not be deemed to be or
32       construed as an abridgment of the right of pupils to freedom of speech.
33        Sec.  2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
34       publication in the statute book.