A high school in Pennsylvania "forced" a black teen to remove his Black Lives Matter face mask before his graduation ceremony.
Dean Holmes, 18, was pulled from the graduation procession line by the York Catholic High School principal and "forced to remove his mask", in a viral Facebook post written by his father last week.
June Holmes said his son was "humiliated publicly" and had his "basic human dignity crushed on" before going on stage.
"In my opinion, his health and safety were jeopardised when he was forced to remove his COVID-19 protective mask."
"Secondly, his freedom of expression was censored when he was compelled to remove his mask or face the real possibility of not graduating."
June Holmes said the school did not issue any specific warnings about masks or clothing etiquette but instead released a "flowery letter" that acclaimed their commitment to diversity.
"But the capricious action taken against my son demonstrates that York Catholic High School has miles to go before they can put the ugliness of unconscious bias and racism to sleep."
York Catholic High addressed the father's statement in an announcement on their website and said the graduate had not previously sought permission to wear the mask, "nor was the mask worn at all during the 45 minutes prior to the ceremony".
"It was not until the last minute, right before entering the church, that the face mask with writing was put on."
"York Catholic administration directed the face mask to be removed privately, away from the other graduates and guests."
The school also added: "The decorum of York Catholic's Baccalaureate and Graduation ceremonies follow the tradition that no messages are permitted on caps or gowns. Any graduate wearing a cap, gown, or mask with any message would have been asked to remove it."
