This situation generated a debate on social media regarding schools’ strict dress code since the shoes the young man wore to the ceremony in the first place weren’t 100% casual.
It’s common for ceremonies, such as academic graduations and end-of-year celebrations, to have their respective dress codes. That is why those who have to receive their diplomas should do so with formal clothing that is appropriate for each case.
But what happens if that person who wants to receive his or her diploma doesn’t have formal clothing? That’s what happened in a high school in Baltimore, United States, where a student almost didn’t receive his high school diploma because he didn’t conform to the ceremony’s dress code.
A few minutes before going on stage, school officials notified the young man that he wouldn’t be able to walk since he didn’t have the proper shoes for the event. The story was told by a teacher, John Butler, who was approached by the young man to ask for his help.
On his Facebook page, the teacher explained that the young man walked up to him “in a panic” and said, “they won’t let me graduate because I don’t have the proper shoes for the dress code”. This prompted the teacher to go to the school officials, who confirmed that the young man wouldn’t be allowed on stage.
So, to avoid a major problem and prevent the young man from being left without that diploma he had worked so many years to achieve, the teacher came up with an emergency plan: to lend him his own shoes.
“I gave him the shoes on my feet. And here’s the funny part: my shoes were two sizes bigger than his, so when his name was called, he had to slide his feet across the stage to receive his diploma. We had a good laugh,” Butler detailed.
However, as comical as the experience may have been, the teacher wanted to open a debate regarding the school dress code since the shoes with which the young man had attended the ceremony in the first place weren’t 100% casual.
They were casual dark brown sneakers. In other words, they were neither flashy nor urban. Butler posted a photo of the shoe model on his Facebook page and wrote: “These are the shoes that were going to keep a young man from receiving his diploma.”
