---
title: SB 225. Education; discrimination on the basis of an individual's race due to a protective hairstyle, or length thereof, in any student dress or grooming policy; prohibit
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb225
cite_as: SB 225, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb225
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb225.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb225/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70603
date: 2025-02-21
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb225.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 225
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-20
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Tonya Anderson
- Kim Jackson
- Nikki Merritt
- Kenya Wicks
- Freddie Sims
- Gail Davenport
- Matt Brass
- Sonya Halpern
- Elena Parent
- Derek Mallow
- Jason Esteves
- Randal Mangham
- RaShaun Kemp
- Michael Rhett
- Sheikh Rahman
- Ed Harbison
- Russ Goodman
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB225/2025
upstream_id: 1978427
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- school dress codes
- hair discrimination
- education civil rights
- student grooming policies
---
# SB 225. Education; discrimination on the basis of an individual's race due to a protective hairstyle, or length thereof, in any student dress or grooming policy; prohibit
## Text
Senate Bill 225
By: Senators Anderson of the 43rd, Jackson of the 41st, Merritt of the 9th, Wicks of the 34th,
Sims of the 12th and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions relative to education, so as to prohibit discrimination on the
basis of an individual's race due to a protective hairstyle, or length thereof, in any student
dress or grooming policy, program, or activity conducted by an educational institution that
receives or benefits from state financial assistance, or enrolls students who receive state
student financial aid; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read
as follows:
"20-1-12.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Discrimination' means any direct or indirect act or practice of exclusion, distinction,
restriction, segregation, limitation, refusal, or denial or any other act or practice of
differentiation or preference in the treatment of a person or persons because of race,
color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or age or the aiding, abetting, inciting,
coercing or compelling of such an act or practice. This term shall not include any direct
or indirect act or practice of exclusion, distinction, restriction, segregation, limitation,
refusal, or denial or any other act or practice of differentiation or preference in the
treatment of a person or persons because of religion if an educational institution
demonstrates that it is unable to accommodate reasonably an individual's religious
observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the educational
institution's operation.
(2) 'Educational institution' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code
Section 20-1-10.
(3) 'Protective hairstyle' means braids, locs, twists, afro, or other textured hairdressing
associated with an individual's race, color, or national origin.
(4) 'Race' includes traits associated with race, color, or national origin, including, but not
limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.
(b) No individual shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of such individual's race
due to a protective hairstyle, or length thereof, in any student dress or grooming policy,
program, or activity conducted by an educational institution that receives or benefits from
state financial assistance, or enrolls students who receive state student financial aid."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill would bar schools and colleges that receive state money or enroll students getting state financial aid from discriminating against students based on protective hairstyles like braids, locs, twists, and afros.
### Plain-language summary
Currently, Georgia law does not explicitly say whether student dress or grooming policies can penalize hairstyles like braids, locs, twists, or afros that are closely tied to race. This bill adds a new section to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated addressing that gap for educational institutions.
The bill defines discrimination broadly, covering exclusion, restriction, segregation, or unequal treatment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age. It defines a protective hairstyle as braids, locs, twists, afros, or other textured hairstyles tied to race, color, or national origin, and clarifies that hair texture and protective hairstyles count as traits associated with race. The core rule bars any student dress or grooming policy, program, or activity at a covered school from discriminating against a student because of a protective hairstyle or its length. The rule applies to any educational institution that gets state financial assistance or enrolls students who receive state student financial aid. The bill does not specify an effective date beyond standard enactment upon passage and signature.
### What it does
- Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. ยง 20-1-12) banning discrimination in student dress or grooming policies based on protective hairstyles or their length.
- Defines 'protective hairstyle' to include braids, locs, twists, afro, or other textured hairstyles tied to race, color, or national origin.
- Expands the legal definition of 'race' for this purpose to explicitly include hair texture and protective hairstyles.
- Applies the ban to any educational institution that receives or benefits from state financial assistance or enrolls students receiving state student financial aid.
- Carries over a broad general definition of 'discrimination' covering race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and age, with a religious accommodation exception for institutions facing undue hardship.
### Who it affects
Public and private schools, colleges, and universities in Georgia that receive state funding or enroll students who get state financial aid, along with the students, parents, and school administrators who set or are subject to dress and grooming codes at those institutions.
### Why it matters
Students with braids, locs, twists, or afros could no longer be disciplined, excluded, or restricted under school dress and grooming codes because of those hairstyles, giving them a legal basis to challenge such policies at schools and colleges that receive state funding or aid.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code Section 20-1-12 to Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20, covering general education provisions.
- Subsection (a)(1) defines 'discrimination' broadly and carves out a religious accommodation exception where undue hardship is shown.
- Subsection (a)(3) defines 'protective hairstyle' as braids, locs, twists, afro, or other textured hairdressing tied to race, color, or national origin.
- Subsection (a)(4) expands 'race' to explicitly include hair texture and protective hairstyles.
- Subsection (b) states the operative rule: no individual may face discrimination based on a protective hairstyle or its length in any student dress or grooming policy, program, or activity at a covered educational institution.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-20)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-21)
- Sponsors: Tonya Anderson, Kim Jackson, Nikki Merritt, Kenya Wicks, Freddie Sims, Gail Davenport, Matt Brass, Sonya Halpern, Elena Parent, Derek Mallow, Jason Esteves, Randal Mangham, RaShaun Kemp, Michael Rhett, Sheikh Rahman, Ed Harbison, Russ Goodman
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70603
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb225.md?full=1