Under legislation (SB 292) unanimously supported by the state House and Senate, high school graduates in Florida who are members of the U.S. Armed Forces will now be allowed to wear their military dress uniforms during graduation.
After hearing about a situation at Newsome High School’s 2018 graduation where senior Emily Olson – who had completed basic training – was no allowed to wear her uniform beneath her cap gown, two Hillsborough County lawmakers decided to sponsor the legislation.
The legislation states: “A district school board may not prohibit a student from lawfully wearing the dress uniform of any of the Armed Forces of the United States or of the state at his or her graduation ceremony.”
Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Mike Beltran stated during the session that they understood why the school acted the way it did, the state of Florida should have clarified rules so that other students in the Armed Forces are not faced with the same situation in the future.
The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously and will officially become a law in time for Olson’s graduation.
