In a turn of events that has sparked conversations on cultural representation and dress codes, former Texas high school homecoming queen, Kayleigh Craddock, has been barred from participating in an established tradition of crowning her successor. This decision came from Brazosport Independent School District due to Miss Craddock’s choice to don a stole representing her Mexican heritage during her graduation ceremony in May.
Craddock, the reigning homecoming queen of Brazosport High School located in Freeport, Texas, had been all set to continue the tradition during this Friday’s homecoming event. Her mother, Cynthia Vasquez, conveyed how her daughter’s anticipation was extinguished when the school’s principal called to inform them of the unexpected change of plans, citing the young woman’s attire during her graduation as the reason.
The school district in a shared statement, claimed that students had been notified about the dress code prior to the graduation ceremony and that Miss Craddock, despite being asked to comply, reportedly refused. As a result of this “insubordination”, she will no longer be invited to participate in the crowning of this year’s homecoming queen, the statement further read.
Vasquez, however, rebutted the claim that her daughter was advised to remove the stole. She recounted her daughter was last in line during graduation and a faculty member who approached her suggested that the stole be tucked into her gown.
In sharing her own narrative, the freshman student at Sam Houston State University expressed how proud she was to wear the stole to accept her diploma. Embracing and celebrating her Mexican heritage was important to her. However, she clarified that she would have readily removed the stole if she were explicitly informed that it violated the dress code.
Vasquez asserts that her daughter is being unfairly targeted and penalized as there were other graduates wearing stoles during the ceremony. She further argued that the family should have been informed about this matter sooner.
As the countdown to homecoming ticks down, Vasquez hopes for a favorable change in the school district’s stance. She reached out to the district for a resolution but has yet to receive a response.
This situation mirrors a recent case where Texas parents have lashed back against dress code policies in schools. Notably, Darresha George and her son, Darryl, have filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against Texas state leaders for failing to enforce the state’s CROWN Act, a law meant to protect against hair discrimination. Darryl George has been suspended for weeks as his hairstyle, the locs, reportedly violated his school’s dress code for male students’ hair length.
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