A former Texas homecoming queen has been barred from returning to her high school to crown her successor because she wore a stole representing her Mexican heritage to her graduation ceremony. Kayleigh Craddock, the reigning homecoming queen at Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas, was excited to continue the tradition of crowning the next queen but was informed by the school principal that she was no longer welcome. The school district stated that students were informed of the dress code before the graduation ceremony and claimed that Kayleigh refused to comply with the guidelines. However, Kayleigh’s mother disputes this, stating that her daughter was told to tuck the stole into her gown.
Kayleigh, who is now a freshman at Sam Houston State University, expressed pride in representing her Mexican culture and stated that she would have removed the stole if she had been informed that it was not allowed. The incident has sparked controversy, with Kayleigh’s mother feeling that she is being singled out and punished, as other students also wore stoles during the graduation ceremony. The family hopes that the school and the district will reconsider their decision before homecoming, but they have yet to receive a response. This incident follows another recent controversy in Texas regarding a student’s hairstyle violating the school district’s dress code policy, leading to a federal discrimination lawsuit being filed against state leaders.