Grad denied diploma for wearing eagle feather

[Hum]

This year, graduation has become a battleground for some school officials and students. With schools tightening restrictions on who gets to walk, seniors are fighting for their rights in the last hours of their high school careers.

Take 17-year-old Chelsey Ramer. Her private school, Escambia Academy, is holding the Alabama grad's diploma and transcripts until she pays a $1,000 fine?all because she hung a lone eagle feather alongside her cap?s tassel during her May 23 commencement ceremony.

Ramer, a member of the Poarch Creak Band of Indians, told Indian Country Today Media that the feather was an important spiritual and cultural symbol of pride, and that she?d decided to wear it even after being warned not to by her then-headmaster, Betty Warren (who has since been replaced, though it?s unclear whether that was related to this incident). Escambia?s dress code prohibits ?extraneous items during graduation exercises unless approved by the administration.?

But, Ramer said after the incident, ?it was worth every penny of the thousand dollars. This is what I?ve been waiting on, and I feel like I have a right to wear it.? To the local WPMI-TV, she added, the situation felt like ?discrimination.?

A receptionist answering the phone at Escambia Academy told Yahoo! Shine, ?We have no comment.?

?When it comes to students expressing their First Amendment rights, disciplining students by not allowing them to graduate is unacceptable,? Gabe Rottman, legislative counsel for the ACLU, told Yahoo! Shine, adding that his office has seen an uptick in aggressive discipline in schools lately. ?Not only is that punishment disproportionate to the crime, but the schools are missing out on an opportunity to teach students the value of freedom of expression.?

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[ILikeTobacco]

?Not only is that punishment disproportionate to the crime, but the schools are missing out on an opportunity to teach students the value of freedom of expression.?

Freedom of expression isn't worth $1000 according to the ACLU apparently. That is the only thing I got out of that comment. This PC culture is getting annoying.

[Growled Member]

This PC culture is getting annoying.

Very. This is absolutely stupid on the school's part.

[Original Poster]

its discrimination to allow her to wear it.

[VincentM]

its discrimination to allow her to wear it.

Elaborate....i'm dying to hear this..

[Torolol]

shes an amer-indian ?

[Rippleman]

its a religious thing, if someone said that they wanted to wear a strap on d*ck becasue it was part of their religion, would it be ok? Religion stays at home, eventually all of society will learn that.

[Anibal P]

its a religious thing, if someone said that they wanted to wear a strap on d*ck becasue it was part of their religion, would it be ok? Religion stays at home, eventually all of society will learn that.

You must live a real sad existence where any kind of outward expression or anything is not allowed, it was just a feather, the school should be sued for violating her rights, especially the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion

[123456789A]

You must live a real sad existence where any kind of outward expression or anything is not allowed, it was just a feather, the school should be sued for violating her rights, especially the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion

It's a private school.

[Rippleman]

You must live a real sad existence where any kind of outward expression or anything is not allowed, it was just a feather, the school should be sued for violating her rights, especially the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion

you must set forth a rule that applies to everyone. If person A can't wear a strap on, then an indian can't wear a feather. Ofcourse this wouldn't happen, but the law is toyed with all the time. Exceptions can't be made on a whim or others will follow.

[astropheed Veteran]

you must set forth a rule that applies to everyone. If person A can't wear a strap on, then an indian can't wear a feather. Ofcourse this wouldn't happen, but the law is toyed with all the time. Exceptions can't be made on a whim or others will follow.

Because if you start letting people wear feathers it's only a matter of time before they start whipping out their strap-ons.

[Original Poster]

Elaborate....i'm dying to hear this..

just creating a bit of discussion ... but if she is allowed to wear something out of the dress code... then everyone else is allowed to... by allowing her to they are discriminating against everyone else with the rule... so yea... seems fair that she is not allowed to wear it...

it works both ways.

[Raa]

Because if you start letting people wear feathers it's only a matter of time before they start whipping out their strap-ons.