Bill Would Let Kids Dress to Prevent Sunburn

Under current law, school districts are able to establish their own dress codes--which often prohibit hats and encourage short-sleeved uniforms. Those codes may soon change.

Bill SB 310, now winding its way through the California Assembly, would require schools to let children wear hats, long-sleeved shirts or other sun-protective clothing while outdoors at school.

Known as Billy’s Bill for Sun Safety, the legislation was written by Sen. Don Perata (D-Oakland) and was named in honor of William S. Graham, a Castro Valley man who died at age 22 from malignant melanoma. Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer linked to severe sunburn. After Graham’s death, his mother, Karen Graham, founded the nonprofit Billy Foundation for Melanoma Research.

The bill’s supporters include the American Cancer Society and the California Medical Assn. The Assn. of California School Administrators is less enthusiastic, because many California schools have adopted dress codes to discourage identification with gangs and to improve student conduct.

However, supporters of the bill point out that Californians have the highest rate of melanoma in the United States and that 80% of sun damage is thought to occur before age 18.