HB 387, titled the "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act" or the CROWN Act, would prohibit discrimination based on certain hairstyles in Florida’s education system. The bill defines "protected hairstyle" as hair characteristics historically associated with race, including hair texture and styles such as afros, braids, locks, and twists. It then amends Florida’s K-20 public education nondiscrimination law to make clear that students may not be excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or otherwise discriminated against because of a protected hairstyle.
The bill also updates the K-12 student and parent rights statute to state that the term "race" includes traits historically associated with race, including hair texture, hair type, and protected hairstyles. In addition, it amends the private school scholarship accountability law so that participating private schools must comply with federal antidiscrimination requirements, with race defined to include these same hair-related traits. The bill would take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
HB 387 would expand Florida education nondiscrimination law by expressly covering hairstyle-based discrimination in public K-20 schools and by incorporating hair texture and protected hairstyles into the statutory definition of race for K-12 rights and private-school scholarship compliance. It would affect public schools, public colleges and universities, and private schools that participate in state scholarship programs, potentially exposing noncompliant schools to funding suspension, enrollment restrictions, or loss of scholarship eligibility under existing enforcement provisions.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcripts or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the materials provided. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be framed as an antidiscrimination and student-rights expansion, suggesting a generally protective and inclusion-oriented purpose rather than a punitive one.
Contention
The main point of contention likely concerns whether hairstyle should be explicitly treated as a protected racial characteristic in education law and whether that definition should extend to private schools receiving state scholarship funds. Supporters would likely emphasize equal treatment for students with natural hair styles commonly associated with Black identity, while critics may question the scope of the definition, the compliance burden on schools, or the broader policy implications of expanding nondiscrimination categories through statutory definition rather than separate civil rights language.