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HB 235 2026
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb235-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to prohibited discrimination based on 2
hairstyle; providing a short title; amending s. 3
1000.05, F.S.; defining the term "protected 4
hairstyle"; prohibiting discrimination based on 5
protected hairstyle against a student in the K-20 6
public education system; conforming provisions to 7
changes made by the act; amending s. 1002.20, F.S.; 8
defining the terms "race" and "protected hairstyle" 9
for purposes of public K-12 nondiscrimination 10
requirements; amending s. 1002.421, F.S.; defining the 11
terms "race" and "protected hairstyle" for purposes of 12
antidiscrimination requirements for private schools 13
participating in the state school choice scholarship 14
program; providing an effective date. 15
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17
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Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Creating a 19
Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act" or "CROWN Act." 20
Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 1000.05, Florida 21
Statutes, is amended to read: 22
1000.05 Discrimination against students and employees in 23
the Florida K-20 public education system prohibited; equality of 24
access required.— 25
HB 235 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(2)(a) As used in this section, the term "protected 26
hairstyle" means hair characteristics historically associated 27
with race, such as hair texture and styles, including, but not 28
limited to, afros, braids, locks, or twists. 29
(b) Discrimination on the basis of race, color, national 30
origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status against a 31
student or an employee in the state system of public K-20 32
education is prohibited. No person in this state shall, on the 33
basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, 34
religion, or marital status, be excluded from participation in, 35
be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination 36
under any public K-20 education program or activity, or in any 37
employment conditions or practices, conducted by a public 38
educational institution that receives or benefits from federal 39
or state financial assistance. Additionally, discrimination 40
based on a protected hairstyle against a student in the state 41
system of public K-20 education is prohibited. A student may not 42
be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or 43
subjected to discrimination under any public K-20 education 44
program or activity on the basis of a protected hairstyle. 45
(c)(b) The criteria for admission to a program or course 46
may shall not have the effect of restricting access by students 47
persons of a particular race, color, national origin, sex, 48
disability, religion, or marital status or with a protected 49
hairstyle. 50
HB 235 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(d)(c) All public K-20 education classes must shall be 51
available to all students without regard to race, color, 52
protected hairstyle, national origin, sex, disability, religion, 53
or marital status; however, this is not intended to eliminate 54
the provision of programs designed to meet the needs of students 55
with limited proficiency in English, gifted students, or 56
students with disabilities or programs tailored to students with 57
specialized talents or skills. 58
(e)(d) Students may be separated by sex for a single-59
gender program, for any portion of a class that deals with human 60
reproduction, or during participation in bodily contact sports. 61
For the purpose of this section, bodily contact sports include 62
wrestling, boxing, rugby, ice hockey, football, basketball, and 63
other sports in which the purpose or major activity involves 64
bodily contact. 65
(f)(e) Guidance services, counseling services, and 66
financial assistance services in the state public K-20 education 67
system shall be available to students equally. Guidance and 68
counseling services, materials, and promotional events shall 69
stress access to academic and career opportunities for students 70
without regard to race, color, protected hairstyle, national 71
origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status. 72
Section 3. Subsection (7) of section 1002.20, Florida 73
Statutes, is amended to read: 74
1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.—Parents of public 75
HB 235 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
school students must receive accurate and timely information 76
regarding their child's academic progress and must be informed 77
of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12 78
students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory 79
rights including, but not limited to, the following: 80
(7) NONDISCRIMINATION.—All education programs, activities, 81
and opportunities offered by public educational institutions 82
must be made available without discrimination on the basis of 83
race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, religion, 84
or marital status, in accordance with the provisions of s. 85
1000.05. For purposes of this subsection, the term "race" is 86
inclusive of traits historically associated with race, 87
including, but not limited to, hair texture, hair type, and 88
protected hairstyles. The term "protected hairstyle" includes, 89
but is not limited to, afros, braids, locks, or twists. 90
Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 91
1002.421, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 92
1002.421 State school choice scholarship program 93
accountability and oversight.— 94
(1) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS.—A private 95
school participating in an educational scholarship program 96
established pursuant to this chapter must be a private school as 97
defined in s. 1002.01 in this state, be registered, and be in 98
compliance with all requirements of this section in addition to 99
private school requirements outlined in s. 1002.42, specific 100
HB 235 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
requirements identified within respective scholarship program 101
laws, and other provisions of Florida law that apply to private 102
schools, and must: 103
(a) Comply with the antidiscrimination provisions of 42 104
U.S.C. s. 2000d. For purposes of this paragraph, the term "race" 105
as used in 42 U.S.C. s. 2000d is inclusive of traits 106
historically associated with race, including, but not limited 107
to, hair texture, hair type, and protected hairstyles. The term 108
"protected hairstyle" includes, but is not limited to, afros, 109
braids, locks, or twists. 110
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The department shall suspend the payment of funds to a private 112
school that knowingly fails to comply with this subsection, and 113
shall prohibit the school from enrolling new scholarship 114
students, for 1 fiscal year and until the school complies. If a 115
private school fails to meet the requirements of this subsection 116
or has consecutive years of material exceptions listed in the 117
report required under paragraph (q), the commissioner may 118
determine that the private school is ineligible to participate 119
in a scholarship program. 120
Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 121