Student seeks court order to don eagle feather at graduation

Source: AP

By SUDHIN THANAWALA

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Native American student who sued his California school district because it's refusing to let him wear an eagle feather to his high school graduation asked a judge for an order permitting the sacred item.

The judge didn't rule on the case Tuesday and Christian Titman's lawyers and school officials were discussing possible resolutions but hadn't reached an agreement in a meeting that went into the evening, said Rebecca Farmer, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, one of the groups representing Titman.

Titman's lawyers argued in court that the student's rights to freedom of expression and religion in the state constitution are being violated.

Titman, 18, a member of the Pit River Tribe, said he wants to attach the 5-inch feather he received from his father to the tassel on his cap at the Clovis High School ceremony set for Thursday. Clovis is about 10 miles northeast of Fresno.

FULL story at link.



In this April 11, 2015 photo, Christian Titman with the Titman family representing the Miwok people dances during the Grand Entry at the 24th Fresno State First Nations Powwow held at Fresno State's O'Neill Park in Fresno, Calif. Titman sued his California school district on Monday, June 1, 2015, over its refusal to let him wear an eagle feather during his high school graduation ceremony, claiming his rights to freedom of expression and religion in the state constitution are being violated. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP)

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/82db1cf5d67c408c95881c58ec642e72/student-seeks-court-order-don-eagle-feather-graduation

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Omaha just went through this too: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141097655