Gay student says Lamar High banned her from graduation ceremonies because of dress code
From Staff Reports
An openly gay student at Lamar High School says LHS banned her from its June 2 graduation ceremonies because she insisted on wearing pants, not a dress.
Dy’Nashia Clark told WPDE-TV that the school’s dress code called for females to wear dresses to graduation, which was held in the LHS football stadium because of COVID-19 concerns.
“I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal, because we’re already here, we’re already fixing to walk, but now I can’t go because of a dress code,” Clark told WPDE. “I was angry more than anything because we worked hard to even have a graduation and then I can’t walk because I don’t got on a dress.”
Clark told the TV station she stood outside the football stadium’s fence watching her classmates graduate. She said school officials did not call out her name as diplomas were being handed out. “That was the part that made me more mad than anything because I was there; you could have least called my name,” Clark told WPDE. “It seems crazy to me. It seems stupid, like petty, because it was just an outfit to me.”
The Darlington County School District said in a statement: “We welcome students or parents who have concerns with any policy or procedure to meet with administration and discuss those concerns.
“In the past, when a student raised concern with the Lamar High School administration about the dress code prior to graduation day, the issue was addressed. We will be reviewing the Darlington County School District high school graduation dress code practices.”
