Las Vegas high school forced to back down after student alleges they broke the law by attempting to restrict her graduation attire
- Jocelynne Zepeda is a senior at El Dorado High School in Las Vegas, Nevada
- After her request was denied, she contacted the ACLU of Nevada
A student has claimed her high school is breaking the law by preventing her from wearing a homemade graduation gown to her upcoming graduation ceremony.
Jocelynne Zepeda, a senior at El Dorado High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, said she wanted to wear the custom-made regalia for her graduation on May 31, but said the school initially denied her request.
The high school graduate wanted to wear a Guatemalan flag, which she said represents her mother’s side of the family, and the flag of Mexico, as a tribute to her father who died earlier this year.
‘My father passed last year. I want to show him, and I want him to be proud,” she said in part. “I’m proud of who I am because that’s who he is.”
Zepeda’s mother Katie Franco told locals Fox5 News that she submitted photos on April 2 and followed the school’s instructions to obtain approval, but did not receive a response until weeks later.
On May 6, Franco said she received an email message from the school administration informing her to “only wear things Eldorado received during the ceremony.”
She then contacted the ACLU of Nevada.
Jocelynne Zepeda, a senior at Eldorado High School, is pictured with her mother
The high school graduate said her father passed away earlier this year and she wanted to wear the flag of Mexico as part of her graduation attire
The special regalia prevented the young woman from carrying Guatemalan and Mexican flags
The nonprofit had Sena letter in April to the Clark County School District.
The letter urged them to withdraw their graduation participation agreement, which stipulates the dress code for the ceremony.
They also cited a bill passed in 2023 that would allow students to wear cultural and religious items at graduation.
Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, told the news station, “Students are being told they cannot wear stoles that represent their national origins, and that is a total insult and violation of AB73.”
The Clark County School District issued a statement to DailyMail.com saying the school district has rescinded its graduation participation agreement effective April 19, 2024.
Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, said: “Students are being told they cannot wear stoles that represent their national origins, and that is a total insult and violation of AB73.”
The high school graduation ceremony at El Dorado High School is scheduled for May 31
“Students may wear traditional tribal regalia or recognized items of religious or cultural significance as adornment on their cap and gown, in accordance with AB73,” the Clark County SD media relations department said.
“CCSD encourages all students and families to mark the occasion and be respectful of their fellow graduates so that everyone can enjoy the ceremony equally.”