EPISD: Student Cannot Wear Marine Uniform At Graduation

EL PASO, Texas — El Paso ISD trustees decided unanimously that a high school student who wanted to wear a Marine uniform to graduation mustwalk the stage ina cap and gown.

Eighteen-year-old Marine Private First Class Garrett Miles-McCarthy graduated in December andwanted to walk in June wearing his uniform.

District officialssaid they offered several suggestions to Miles-McCarthy, including wearing his military uniform before or after the actual graduation ceremony, but not when the diploma is being handed to him and the tassel is being turned over.

Miles-McCarthyis currently training in Camp Pendleton in California. His mother Marie McCarthy attended Tuesday’s meeting andtold ABC-7 thather sonwanted to honor his father and brother who will both be out of the country during his graduation and all the others serving in the military.

She said she collected about a thousand signatures in support of this.

“It has escalated to this because of the public outcry. There’s a lot of people who support this. I mean, we are a nation at war and whether people want to believe it or not, just because it doesn’t affect us on a daily basis doesn’t mean people don’t have feelings about it,”McCarthy said.

The board said they will now recognize all students in the military during the posting of colors at the graduation ceremony.