Gender-specific graduation attire will no longer be permitted in Palm Beach County schools. (Photo by Chris Moncus, from Wikimedia Commons)
The Palm Beach County school district updated its policy on high school graduation attire Feb. 3 removing the requirement some schools had that students must wear the cap and gown in a school color that coordinates with their gender.
The change came after the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) raised concerns that a policy requiring gender-specific graduation attire discriminates against students who identify as a gender other than male or female.
“When we eliminate the focus on gender by different colored caps and gowns, we put more focus back on the students’ accomplishments,” said Carley Cass, a PBCHRC board member, in a press release.
Palm Beach County’s graduating seniors will now wear a single color cap and gown designated by each school in lieu of the two separate colors.
The issue was first raised in 2015 by gender-nonconforming seniors in Palm Beach County who objected to the attire rules and reached out to Cass with their concerns. The PBCHRC was able to get the policy changed in some schools, working with administrators, however five high schools in Palm Beach County — Lake Worth, Jupiter, Pahokee, Royal Palm Beach and Seminole Ridge — refused to move to single-color graduation attire, prompting action from the school district.
During the board meeting, school district general counsel Shawntoyia Bernard advised school board members that the practice of two color, gender-based graduation gowns violated not only eight school district policies but also federal and state laws.
Keith Oswald, the deputy superintendent of Palm Beach County schools, emailed all school principals advising them to stop the use of gender-specific graduation caps and gowns.
Amanda Canete, the youth program director for Palm Beach County’s Compass LGBTQ Community Center, said she is “thrilled” by the school district’s decision to make “the milestone of graduation inclusive of all gender identities and expressions.”
“Since graduation is a time to celebrate achievements, this policy change means no student will have to represent themself as anything other than their own unique self on one of the most important days of a young person’s life,” she said.
