JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Jessamine County family is upset after they say the school would not allow their graduate to wear a sash marking his military commitment. The district says the sash didn't fit the graduation requirements. That graduate says he hopes to see a change.
During his four years in the ROTC program at East Jessamine High School, Jason Music said he found something.
"It gave me some kind of purpose, something to do in life, because I was a little lost, didn't know what I wanted to do," Music.
Now, after graduating, he's joining the Navy
"I'm going in to be an aviation machinist and work on airplanes. I'm going to work on the engines of them. I'll get assigned to a squadron and I'll go around the world and do that on the boats," he said.
For graduation, he said his recruiter gave him a special sash to wear when he walked across the stage.
"There were kids who got to wear pins and different things for their job choices and so I felt like it would only be right that I get to wear mine and show it off. I didn't feel like it would be much of a distraction," he said.
His family says administrators said he couldn't wear it and took it from him until the ceremony was over.
"I was beyond upset over it. I was livid," said Music's mother, Helen Kouns.
Kouns said she couldn't understand why he couldn't wear the sash.
"There's nothing inappropriate about that. It's an honor to wear that sash. They should want them to wear that. They should be proud of them," she said.
A district spokesperson said each school's Site-Based Decision Making Council makes decisions about what students are allowed to wear. She said student's in the district's Military Leadership Program receive camouflage-colored cords to wear. In the future, the family hopes sashes like this one will be allowed.
"I would like for kids to be able to wear it next year, for him to change his rules, allow kids to show off what they worked for," Music said.
