A 17-year-old boy whose high school diploma was withheld because he showed up at his graduation ceremony wearing a string bolo tie wants an apology.
Thomas Benya picked up his diploma at the local post office last week, but the graduate of Maurice J. McDonough High School in Charles County, Md., says he wants the principal to apologize for showing disrespect toward his Native American heritage. Mr. Benya’s father is part Cherokee.
School officials objected to the tie, saying it violated the dress code for the graduation ceremony held June 8.
The student’s mother, Marsha Benya, expressed disappointment that school officials have not contacted the family since the incident. District officials could not be reached for comment.
