‘Common sense sort of policy’ intends to increase cultural and religious inclusivity in Utah schools

File photo shows Grand County High School graduates Seth Holyoak and Nomanie Tsosie, Moab, Utah, May 26, 2016 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — A bill concerning revisions to graduation attire among public school students has received its first hearing in Utah’s 2023 legislative session. 

Hoksila Lakota, right, ties an eagle feather to Elijah Wiggins before his graduation from Cedar City High School on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Cedar City, Utah | Associated Press photo by Rick Bowmer, St. George News

The student graduation attire revisions bill, officially designated as SB 103 in the 2023 Utah Legislature, will grant students the opportunity to wear “items of religious or cultural significance” alongside the traditional cap and gown. 

The graduation attire bill is sponsored by Sen. Karen Kwan, who told St. George News that she has been working on this bill since early 2022 after a similar bill, the Student Tribal Regalia Use Amendments, passed through the Legislature with no opposition.

“It’s a common sense sort of policy in that it asked for transparency in (school board) policy and it asked for religious and cultural respect,” Kwan said.

Kwan was approached by people in the Asian and Pacific Islander community to see if there was anything that could be done about the essential ban on leis. This was not an outright ban, but a consequence of policies that stated students could only wear official school-designated attire.

Stock image | Photo courtesy USU Extension, St. George News

“I talked to a whole lot of people and got a lot of input from school boards, the state school board, from schools, from teachers, from parents, and when I put together the language of this bill it was with all parties in mind,” Kwan said. 

She reiterated that the bill was written to benefit students, parents and schools.

Kwan said the bill allows local education agencies to “determine what might be disruptive.”

“It directs school board policy to come up with a policy on graduation attire,” she said. “Some schools have them, some schools don’t. My bill will say that every school district must have that transparency in their policy.

“It also gives the parents a process by which they can ask for reconsideration,” she said. 

The new bill will not replace or impede on any of the rights offered through the Student Tribal Regalia Use Amendment but broadens the inclusivity of who can wear meaningful adornments during graduation ceremonies. 

Iron County School District’s Superintendent Lance Hatch told St. George News that he was in support of the bill that was passed last year and also is in favor of the new graduation attire bill.

“The schools had a pretty tight reign on (graduation attire) because they wanted it to stay very formal, and they wanted to kind of control how it looked, but we want to be very sensitive to everyone’s needs,” Hatch said. 

He said he thinks it’s just a matter of adjusting ceremonial expectations that developed over many years.

“And we were able to do that last year,” he said. “We had a great experience and, in fact, it will be better if it’s not limited to just Native American students because we have other nationalities, and we are allowing them to do similar things as well.”

This legislation was previously listed as HB 149 while Kwan was transitioning to her position in the Senate. It will not move forward in the House of Representatives as HB 149 but will start in the Senate as SB 103.

The bill has received its first hearing in the Senate and is awaiting committee hearings.


Check out all of St. George News’ coverage of the 2023 Utah Legislature here.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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