"Once a Marine, always a Marine" apparently doesn't apply at a Pennsylvania high school where a 17-year-old graduate has been told she cannot wear her uniform when she receives her diploma.
Lindsay Starr told KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh she wanted to wear her dress blues during Friday's graduation ceremony at North Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh, but that school officials denied her request, citing the requirement of wearing only the traditional cap and gown.
"I’m just trying to show pride in what I belong to now," she told the station. "I belong to the United States Marine Corps as a 17-year-old. Like, c’mon, now."
Starr, of Wexford, Pa., could not be reached for comment on Thursday. She graduated from the school early and joined the Marines, having recently finished three months in boot camp, KDKA reports.
School officials, however, have said the policy is clear: Graduates must wear a cap and gown bearing the school colors. Similar requests have been received in the past and they have also been rejected.
Some teachers at the school have privately told the station that they believe Starr should be allowed to wear her military uniform.
"There should be no reason for them to say no," Starr told the station. "They don’t have to do anything. I come in my uniform, shake hands, get my diploma and it’s over."
Multiple calls seeking comment from school officials were not returned on Thursday.
Maj. Carl Redding, a spokesman for the U.S. Marines, said the Marine Corps will not get involved in any decision made by local school administrators.
"As Marines, we respect the rules and regulations of all levels of government," Redding wrote in an email to FoxNews.com.
FoxNews.com's Joshua Rhett Miller contributed to this report.
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