Utah lawmakers are proposing legislation that would ensure that Native American students are allowed to wear tribal regalia during their high school graduation ceremonies.
Rep. Angela Romero, the bill’s sponsor, told an interim committee hearing Monday that the bill was inspired by the story of a Native student last year who was asked to remove her graduation cap that she had decorated with beadwork and an eagle feather to symbolize her heritage.
Legislators unanimously agreed to move the bill on for future consideration, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday. Romero said the bill is modeled after similar laws in Arizona and Montana.
Romero said that she and Sen. Jani Iwamoto were approached by the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah to sponsor the proposal.
