Student fights to wear Native American clothing at graduation

VIDEO - An American Indian high school senior in Oelrichs, South Dakota who wants to wear traditional Lakota clothing at his upcoming graduation has sued for that right in federal court...

An American Indian high school senior in Oelrichs, South Dakota who wants to wear traditional Lakota clothing at his upcoming graduation has sued for that right in federal court.

The lawsuit filed by 19-year-old Aloysius Dreaming Bear seeks a permanent injunction and nominal damages.

The school board is requiring that Dreaming Bear wear a cap and gown over any other clothing when he receives his diploma at the May 22 graduation ceremony.

WATCH VIDEO OF NATIVE AMERICAN FIGHTING FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
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The board is permitting him and other students to remove their caps and gowns afterward to show traditional clothing.

Dreaming Bear says he wants to honor his culture and his people.

The board has said that the cap-and-gown requirement is in a handbook that Dreaming Bear signed off on last August.

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