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Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff
(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) “Graduation attire” means attire that a school or school district requires a student to wear as part of the dress code for a graduation ceremony.
(b) “Qualifying student” means a student who is a descendant of people who were living in North America prior to the time people from Europe began settling in North America, is an enrolled member of a federally recognized or state-recognized Indian tribe, or is a lineal descendant of a tribally enrolled parent or grandparent.
(c) “Tribal regalia” means a tribe's traditional dress or recognized objects of religious or cultural significance and includes the following items of cultural significance:
(I) Tribal symbols;
(II) Beads; and
(III) Feathers, in line with the federal “Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918”.
(d) “Tribe” means a tribe, band, nation, or Alaskan Native village that is recognized by federal law or that a state formally acknowledges.
(2) A qualifying student may wear tribal regalia during a graduation ceremony; except that a qualifying student who is not an enrolled member of a tribe shall not wear eagle feathers. Wearing tribal regalia includes decorating graduation attire with tribal regalia; except that a qualifying student who is not an enrolled member of a tribe shall not decorate with eagle feathers.
(3)(a) An immediate family member of a qualifying student may wear and display tribal regalia during the qualifying student's graduation ceremony if the immediate family member is:
(I) An enrolled member of a tribe;
(II) Eligible to be enrolled as a member of a tribe; or
(III) A lineal descendant of a tribally enrolled parent or grandparent.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (3)(a) of this section, an immediate family member who is not an enrolled member of a tribe shall not wear eagle feathers.
(4) A school or school district shall not prohibit a qualifying student or the qualifying student's immediate family from wearing and displaying tribal regalia at a graduation ceremony.
(5) This section applies to all public school graduations, including, but not limited to, kindergarten, middle school, junior high school, and high school graduations.
Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Colorado Revised Statutes Title 22. Education § 22-1-142. Tribal regalia at school graduation ceremonies--definitions - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/co/title-22-education/co-rev-st-sect-22-1-142/
FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.
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