The 17-year-old girl, listed in court papers by her initials L.B., had chosen a dress to wear with her cap and gown Saturday at Harrison Central High School in Gulfport, a coastal town about 160 miles south of Jackson. Graduating boys are expected to wear white shirts and black slacks, while girls are expected to wear white dresses.
"L.B. and her parents have suffered significant emotional distress, humiliation, shame, and anxiety, and fear that they will be forced to miss this important moment in L.B.'s personal life and academic career," ACLU attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. Court records show the opposing attorneys met during a settlement conference Friday but did not reach an agreement. U.S. District Judge Taylor McNeel held a hearing after the conference, but it was not immediately clear how quickly he would rule.