Kayleigh Craddock, the reigning homecoming queen at Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas, will not be in attendance at Friday night’s (September 29) football game to crown her successor. That’s because Craddock was banned from returning to her alma mater after she wore a Mexican sarape-designed stole to her graduation ceremony last May.
“I wanted to represent my culture,” Craddock said about wearing the accessory. “I love being Mexican, and I will forever be proud.”
Brazosport Independent School District claims that students were informed of the dress code before taking the graduation stage. Craddock said she didn’t know about the dress code until a teacher approached her at the ceremony and told her to tuck her stole into her gown.
“The student was asked to comply with the dress guidelines and refused,” a statement from the district said. “The graduate was homecoming queen last school year; however, because of the insubordination at the graduation ceremony last May, the graduate was not invited back to participate in the crowning of this year’s homecoming queen.”
According to CNN, Craddock and her family received a phone call from the school’s principal informing her that she was banned and not allowed to participate in the homecoming festivities. Craddock is currently a freshman at Sam Houston State University. It’s tradition, of course, that last year’s homecoming queen passes the crown to the new high school royal.
Craddock and her mother dispute the district’s claim that she was asked to remove the stole. “I wouldn’t have brought it if it was out of dress code,” she said. “I wouldn’t have brought it period.”