# Plano High School students not permitted to wear honors regalia at graduation **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 1, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228 "2016-06-01T12:59:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/41 "2016-06-02T00:52:37Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > but after all a student recital is supposed to be a community display of support and encouragement for **all** the students. Truly? I’d have thought they were meant to display the talents of the students, and the skills they’d acquired in the class holding the recital. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/42 "2016-06-02T02:41:29Z")
According to the article cited they allow recognition of school achievements. They don’t allow outside acknowledgements. I can see the thought process behind this. Anyone can cough up an award program and issue a visual recognition for it. The school is not in the position of vetting each award. I can also see the thought process behind a nationally recognized/accredited award. But nobody wants their school board meetings to turn into special-snowflake certification events. Gone are the days of common sense. ---
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/43 "2016-06-02T14:08:02Z")
This is a media hyped up non-event. The school has had the same policies regarding this since the 1970s. National Honor Society is just a club. Honors students are recognized by wearing a white stole at the graduation ceremony. The school is well known as an excellent high school having twice been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon school. The following website ranked the school as the 11th best public high school in Texas. [https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/best-overall/s/texas/](https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/best-overall/s/texas/) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/44 "2016-06-02T14:27:26Z")
Yeah, as mentioned upthread it sounds like something raised by just one student’s family who wants to see him wear the award, citing some alleged and unnamed NHS source. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/45 "2016-06-02T14:44:48Z")
I teach in a district close to Plano, so I think I have a pretty good idea about how NHS stoles are normally dealt with in the area. NHS is national, but it’s not an “outside” organization: it’s pretty tightly a part of the school. In schools where you wear NHS stoles, the stoles are bought by the school, distributed at graduation, and collected back up after. It’s all perfectly routine. Kids also wear various cords and medals. We don’t have any other kind of stole, though, because a kid in two stoles would look stupid. It sounds like Plano opted for Cum Laude stoles instead of NHS stoles back in the 70s. Who knows why? It certainly wasn’t to preserve anyone’s feelings–demanding a 3.6 means there will likely be fewer, not more, stoles, as NHS chapters usually have a lower GPA requirement than that. I would be shocked if they don’t identify NHS members in the program–that’s pretty normal. But they just do cum laude stoles instead of NHS stoles. This is so not a big deal. If the student body wants to change that–if they want to vote to switch over and can find the funds to buy a whole new set of stoles–more power to them. But this is just an internal school decision that has nothing to do with the underlying moral character of our time. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/46 "2016-06-02T15:48:26Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Kinda proves **BLD’s** point, doesn’t it? 😃 > > _Somewhat facetious_ > As soon as Texas high schools start building $60 million libraries, computer facilities, science wings, etc, I’ll accept that football doesn’t come first. Jackmannii’s story about when he was in school somewhere that wasn’t Texas proves BobLibDem’s point? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/47 "2016-06-02T22:46:42Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I teach in a district close to Plano, so I think I have a pretty good idea about how NHS stoles are normally dealt with in the area. NHS is national, but it’s not an “outside” organization: it’s pretty tightly a part of the school. In schools where you wear NHS stoles, the stoles are bought by the school, distributed at graduation, and collected back up after. It’s all perfectly routine. Kids also wear various cords and medals. We don’t have any other kind of stole, though, because a kid in two stoles would look stupid. > > It sounds like Plano opted for Cum Laude stoles instead of NHS stoles back in the 70s. Who knows why? It certainly wasn’t to preserve anyone’s feelings–demanding a 3.6 means there will likely be fewer, not more, stoles, as NHS chapters usually have a lower GPA requirement than that. I would be shocked if they don’t identify NHS members in the program–that’s pretty normal. But they just do cum laude stoles instead of NHS stoles. This is so not a big deal. If the student body wants to change that–if they want to vote to switch over and can find the funds to buy a whole new set of stoles–more power to them. But this is just an internal school decision that has nothing to do with the underlying moral character of our time. Wait what? The student body votes on this? Discussion over. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/48 "2016-06-02T23:34:01Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > Truly? I’d have thought they were meant to display the talents of the students, and the skills they’d acquired in the class holding the recital. Very true. I should have specified more clearly that the role of the _audience_ at a student recital is to provide a community display of support and encouragement for all the students. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/49 "2016-06-03T00:10:08Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Wait what? The student body votes on this? Discussion over. I doubt they voted. It’s been the way it’s done for decades and only this one kid has complained. They probably also didn’t vote on ribe color or mortarboard vs beret. But unless they do organize and express a preference and then get overruled by authority, it’s not a news story. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228/50 "2016-06-03T14:16:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The weird part of this is that it is Texass and not Massachusetts. Woah, what’s with the cheap shot at New England? 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plano-high-school-students-not-permitted-to-wear-honors-regalia-at-graduation/756228.md?page=2)