California High School Forbids Soldier Right To Graduate In Uniform

First and foremost, it appears that the principal was not only wrong-headed but in violation of the law. The apology mentioned in other comments was warranted AFAICT.

Having said that, IMV the military uniform is inappropriate for a graduation in which all the other graduates are wearing a cap and gown. I say that not to diminish the respect I have for those kids that join the military out of high school ... but out of respect for the others in the class and the class as a whole. Graduation is the last official act that a class does together and the wearing of a military uniform by one or more class members, sets them apart, undermining that togetherness. I think that wearing the uniform under the gown until after the ceremony ... then removing the gown and donning cover to mark the transition to a post-school profession is a great way to respect the uniformity of the graduation yet show pride in the uniform and one's enlistment.

The article claims that wearing a gown over the uniform violates the UCMJ. I don't know that that is the case ... but I certainly have never heard of anyone getting prosecuted for it. Making an issue of that would be an incredibly stupid thing for the military to do ... and collectively, it isn't incredibly stupid.

To be fair, it's the principal and vice-principal that made this simple, obvious error. It's not like they're educated or anything.

The law supersedes school policy not the other way around. That said, he did the right thing by not making a scene. From here, he should take the appropriate actions to ensure it doesn't happen to future SMs.