Native American Student Suing To Wear Eagle Feather In Graduation Ceremony

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A Native American student is suing his Central California school district over its refusal to allow him to wear an eagle feather during his high school graduation ceremony.

Lawyers for Christian Titman filed the lawsuit on Monday, claiming the Clovis Unified School District is violating his rights to freedom of expression and religion under the California Constitution. He is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Titman is a member of the Pit River Tribe and says he wants to wear the 5-inch feather at Thursday's graduation ceremony to mark his achievement and honor his Native American heritage.

A call to the district was not immediately returned. But in a letter to Titman's attorneys, Superintendent Janet Young said the district had a strict graduation dress code that was intended in part to show the unity of the graduating class.