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RAMONA, Okla. (AP) — A federal magistrate is recommending that a Native American student not wear an eagle feather to her high school graduation in Ramona, Oklahoma.
Local media outlets report the recommendation was made Tuesday on 18-year-old Hayden Griffith's request to wear a feather attached to her graduation cap's tassel. Administrators testified that the Ramona school's dress code does not allow students to decorate their caps. A federal district judge will make the final decision regarding the matter.
Griffith, a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, says the feather is an expression of her tribal religious beliefs. Principal Debra Keil says about 40 percent of Caney Valley High students are Native American, but no one has ever asked to wear a feather to graduation.
Both sides have until Wednesday afternoon to respond to the magistrate's recommendation.
Griffith's commencement ceremony is Thursday.
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