The Pennsylvania CROWN Act: Hair, Identity & the Law

A Practical Briefing for HR Professionals

Presenter: Barry Brownstein, Partner, Ward Law | V.P. of Legal Affairs, SHRM

Date: September 30, 2026

Pennsylvania's new CROWN Act (HB 439), effective January 24, 2026, expands the PHRA to protect hair texture, protective hairstyles, and religious head coverings. This session breaks down what the law changed, its narrow health-and-safety exceptions, and a practical four-step roadmap — Evaluate, Amend, Train, Monitor — for updating grooming and appearance policies before a claim arises.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

• Explain what the PA CROWN Act changed under the PHRA and its narrow health/safety exceptions.
• Audit grooming and appearance policies for language that could create liability.
• Apply a four-step roadmap (Evaluate, Amend, Train, Monitor) to update policies and roll out training.
• Distinguish safety-based grooming rules from subjective “professionalism” standards.
• Respond appropriately to a hair or head-covering discrimination complaint.

This presentation is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice.