WALDORF, Md. (AP) – A Waldorf high school student says she will not be allowed to wear moccasin shoes that honor her Native American heritage during her graduation this week.
Dylan McCabe tells WTTG-TV that the principal of North Point High School allowed her to wear a ceremonial Diné (Navajo) dress under her graduation gown, but he didn’t approve the footwear or leggings that she requested to wear.
McCabe says the moccasins were the same ones she wore during a four-day coming-of-age ritual she performed when she was 11. She says she had to run three times a day with the shoes to prove her strength and endurance.
McCabe’s mother says she has appealed the principal’s decision to the superintendent’s office.
The school has not commented on the situation.
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Information from: WTTG-TV
