A former Texas homecoming queen will not be allowed to return to her high school to crown her successor because she wore a stole representing her Mexican heritage to her graduation ceremony in May, according to the school district. Kayleigh Craddock, the reigning homecoming queen at Brazosport High School, had been excited to continue the tradition of crowning the next Homecoming Queen. However, the school’s principal informed her family that she was no longer welcome due to her attire at graduation. The school district stated that students had been informed of the dress code before the graduation ceremony and that the student had refused to comply.
Craddock’s mother, Cynthia Vasquez, disputes the claim that her daughter was told to remove the stole. She said that a teacher had approached Craddock and asked her to tuck it into her gown. Craddock, now a freshman at Sam Houston State University, expressed pride in wearing the stole to accept her diploma, stating that she wanted to represent her culture. She also mentioned that she would have removed the stole if she had been informed that it was against the dress code. Vasquez believes that her daughter is being unfairly singled out and punished, as other students at graduation also wore stoles. Despite reaching out to the school district, Vasquez has not received a response, and with homecoming approaching, she hopes for a change in the school’s stance.
This incident comes after another Texas parent filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against Texas state leaders for failing to enforce the state’s CROWN Act, which protects against hair discrimination. Darresha George and her son, Darryl, argue that his locs violate the school district’s dress code policy and should be protected by the CROWN Act because locs are historically associated with race. This issue further highlights the ongoing debate surrounding dress codes and cultural expression in schools.