Suffolk Public Schools should not be dictating what students wear at graduation ceremonies this weekend.

I was checking suffolknewsherald.com this morning while at Pensacola airport awaiting my flight home and could not believe the story about dress codes at graduation.

From what I can gather, a young lady from Lakeland High School wanted to wear a pantsuit for Saturday’s ceremony and was told she couldn’t do it. She was understandably upset and turned to the media to expose this ridiculous &uot;ruling.&uot;

What’s up with the public schools lately? First they get themselves bent out of shape over the name of a bluegrass band that will be playing at Constant’s Wharf – an event that has nothing to do with school system and is not on school property – and now this.

Whatever students wear on Saturday at their graduation ceremony will be beneath their cap and gown so it doesn’t really matter what they have on because nobody will be able to see it.

What students wear at the ceremony should be up to them and their parents. Most of them are adults and capable of dressing themselves without the advice of school officials.

Some students may not even own a skirt or a jacket and tie since these are not things people that age normally wear, so it’s likely that some will have to go out and spend money if they want to participate in their graduation ceremonies. That’s not right.

It could be that the skirt rule was suggested by some lecherous old school official who wants to leer at young girls’ legs on Saturday.

Whatever the case, Suffolk school officials are just a little too uptight these days. I suggest they use their summer vacations to get some rest and relax and maybe they can come back in the fall with cooler heads.