With graduation season coming up, many students are facing a common problem about their caps. Most schools are prohibiting students from decorating their caps in their own ways. Placing restrictions on students in this way can be seen as a violation of their first amendment right to freedom of speech. 

The issue of decorating caps is one that has come up on many occasions when students become seniors. They feel that since they only graduate highschool once, they deserve to make the experience their own. Using song lyrics or jewels to decorate are some of the most common options. When students aren’t allowed to decorate their caps the graduation becomes less about them and more about fitting in with the rest of your classmates. Schools argue that the graduation ceremony is a formal event that should be treated as such, and explain that individualizing your cap takes away from the formality of the ceremony. Most school systems tell students to refrain from decorating their caps or else they will not be able to participate in the graduation ceremony. 

Not allowing students to individualize their cap for graduation dampens the moment for graduating seniors. The process of decorating your cap is special and makes the moment more personal to you. By restricting this freedom, schools are prioritizing the overall appearance of graduation over the actual students who are graduating.