No more punishment for colored hair? The Ministry of National Education is preparing a revolution in school statutes

The Ministry of National Education wants to guarantee students the statutory right to shape their own clothing and appearance. They are to be free from discrimination for any reason, in particular due to, among others: on appearance. However, the outfit must be consistent with generally accepted social norms.

Have these regulations been needed for years?

Many school statutes in Poland still include provisions requiring “natural” hair color, prohibiting coloring, specifying the permissible type of hairstyle or obliging students to tie their hair in a specific way,” Katarzyna Matusik-Lipiec noted in a parliamentary interpellation to the Minister of Education. She added that the current provisions of the Education Law indicate that the school statute may specify dress code rules, “however, this does not authorize interference with the elements of a student's individual expression, such as hair color or styling.”

The response of the deputy head of the Ministry of National Education, Katarzyna Lubnauer, shows that the Ministry of Education is working on regulations that would guarantee students freedom in their appearance. This is a draft amendment to the Education Law and certain other acts, which was submitted to the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers. The SKRM agenda shows that the project was last discussed on December 11, 2025.

The proposed regulation shows that: a student in a primary, secondary, artistic school or institution specified in the regulations “has the right, in particular, to: shape his or her own dress and appearance.” He is also entitled to freedom “from discrimination for any reason”, in particular due to, among others: on appearance.

The student is expected to dress in accordance with the standards

However, the Ministry emphasized that the student should “dress in accordance with generally accepted social norms.” It is prohibited to wear clothing that “incites hatred, is discriminatory, is contrary to law, or poses a threat to the safety of other people at the school or facility or the student himself.”

In addition, it will be an obligation to follow the rules set out in the school statute regarding clothing and appearance, e.g. during physical education classes and educational activities in workshops, laboratories and school studios.

Deputy Minister Lubnauer emphasized that the amendment is a proposal of “modern codification solutions in the field of students' rights and obligations”, which “at the same time will organize the legal matter regarding appearance, currently present in school statutes.” The solutions are the result of the work of the team for students' rights and obligations appointed by the Minister of Education.

As it was before

The current provisions of the Education Law leave the issue of school dress code to be regulated in the school statute. The regulation may concern two situations: defining general rules for how students should dress on school premises or specifying the obligation for students to wear uniforms at school.

The headmaster of a primary school, a secondary school and an art school may, on his own initiative or at the request of the school council, parents' council, teaching council or student council, introduce the obligation for students to wear uniforms on school premises. The uniform pattern is determined by the school principal in consultation with the parents' council and after seeking the opinion of the teaching council and the student government. In schools where it is not obligatory for students to wear uniforms, the school statute specifies the rules of dressing for students on school premises.

Wearing uniforms was mandatory in all public primary and junior high schools from September 1, 2007, by decision of the then Minister of Education, Roman Giertych. This provision was abolished a year later. This was one of the solutions to the amendment to the Education System Act signed by then President Lech Kaczyński.

Scandal in Krakow

A student's appearance at school is a topic that has aroused emotions for years. Recently, this issue has been loudly discussed thanks to one of Krakow's high schools.

According to MP Matusik-Lipiec, one of his students was “subjected to mental and physical violence by the director of the institution, who referred to the provisions of the school's statute, which states 'both the shape of the hairstyle and the color must be natural, and the hair cannot be subjected to treatments that change its appearance and structure'.”

In turn, the high school principal, Mariusz Graniczka, explained that he suggested to a student sent to him by one of his teachers that in his free time he could get his hair done nearby at a friendly hairdresser. It was the student himself – noted the principal – who suggested going to the hairdresser during the break, to which he agreed. (PAP)

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