As most of us know, it is graduation season. Therefore we have a lot of parents that are extremely excited to see their children walk across the stage to receive their diplomas or degrees as they get ready to transition to the next phase of their lives.

Now imagine your child is the valedictorian of his high school graduating class.

With everything we try to protect our sons from in the world, the child that you helped birthed and raised will be graduating with a 4.0, top of his class! Now imagine him coming home and telling you he may not walk across the stage at his graduations ceremony. This exciting moment, that your son worked so very hard for may be taken away from him and why, you ask? Then the school administration tells you and your son that failure to shave his facial hair will result in him not walking across the stage.

Your first question is why his facial hair such a problem now when it wasn’t a problem freshman through senior year. For four years your son has had a beard and never has he been reprimanded, not until graduation. They try to convince you that 13 other students received the same warning but it still doesn’t make sense to you. Other students were warned as well but why now?

Well Andrew Jones experienced this at Amite High School in Louisiana. As valedictorian he should have been worrying about the speech he would give to his classmates at their graduation ceremony. Instead he had to wonder why a rule that had not been enforced for at least the last four years is now being enforced at such an important time in his life.

Eventually Andrew decided not to cut his beard and the school confiscated his cap and gown.

Patricia Morris, the President of the Tangipahoa chapter of the NAACP, said the school’s decision was “just wrong” and mentioned that other students throughout the district with facial hair were allowed to walk across the stage. According to Morris the school has had issues in the past with treating black and white students differently.

Why decide to use the handbook when it’s convenient for you? If it were really about following rules, this would have been enforced 4 years ago.