LEXINGTON, Ky., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A Kentucky woman is suing her former high school for forbidding her from attending her graduation prom wearing a Confederate flag-themed dress.
Jacqueline Duty is suing Russell High School in Lexington for actual and punitive damages in excess of $50,000 for banning her from entering the school May 1 for the dance.
Her lawyer, Earl-Ray Neal, said school officials violated her First Amendment right to free speech and her right to celebrate her heritage. The 19-year-old is also suing for defamation, false imprisonment and assault, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
In April, a teacher overheard her plans to wear the dress she spent four years designing. Principal Sean Howard then called Duty the night before the prom and told her not to wear the dress, her lawyers said.
She said she didn't have another to wear, and showed up only to be met by Howard and two police officers, who told her she could not come in.
The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to hear a case over whether a student can wear Confederate symbols to school. But lower courts' rulings have been mixed, leaving no clear precedent, the newspaper said.
