老澳门开奖结果

New Policy Has Students Wear Cap and Gown in Portraits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

JACKSON, Miss. 鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果 and the 老澳门开奖结果 of Mississippi reached an agreement today with the Copiah County School District in a dispute over the exclusion of student Ceara Sturgis' photo from the senior portrait section of the yearbook because she posed in a tuxedo. The district has agreed to adopt a policy that will require all students to wear a cap and gown, rather than require boys to wear tuxedos and girls to wear drapes.

As part of the agreement the school will include Sturgis鈥� photo featuring the tuxedo in her class鈥檚 composite picture hanging in the school library.

鈥淚 am thrilled that my photo will join my classmates on the wall of our school library,鈥� said Sturgis. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that nobody else will be forced to wear something that doesn鈥檛 reflect who they are.鈥�

The school will also amend its anti-discrimination policy to add language affirming its commitment to following the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

鈥淗opefully no other students will be excluded from this important rite of passage simply for expressing themselves,鈥� said Bear Atwood, legal director of the 老澳门开奖结果 of Mississippi. 鈥淐opiah County School District has done the right thing by changing the yearbook policy so no students have to feel as if they鈥檙e out of place.鈥�

Sturgis was an honor student at Wesson Attendance Center in the district, where she attended school from kindergarten through her senior year. At home and at school, she dresses in clothing that is traditionally associated with boys and had previously not encountered any problems from her peers or teachers. When she had her formal senior portrait taken, she opted to wear a tuxedo, rather than a drape that gives the appearance of wearing a dress or a blouse. Because of her attire, the school refused to publish her photo and name in the senior portrait section of the yearbook.

鈥淲e鈥檙e glad that a resolution has been reached and that Ceara鈥檚 photo will be included in the school library along with the photos of the rest of her classmates,鈥� said Joshua Block, staff attorney with the 老澳门开奖结果 Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. 鈥淎ll students deserve to attend school in a setting that lets them be comfortable being themselves.鈥�

Attorneys on the case include Block and Christine Sun of the 老澳门开奖结果 LGBT Project, Atwood of the 老澳门开奖结果 of Mississippi and Norman C. Simon, Joshua Glick, Jason Moff and Lee Strock of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.

More information on this case can be found here: www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/sturgis-v-copiah-county-school-district