By Jessica Kenley

PORT ALLEGANY, Pa. — A Port Allegany family is speaking out after a dispute over graduation attire left them feeling that a graduating senior’s military standing and career goals were not properly recognized during commencement ceremonies.

Teal Erhard alleges that her son, Owen Erhard, was prohibited from wearing a military sash during his Port Allegany High School graduation ceremony by school administration just recently. According to Erhard, Principal Mark Budd informed the family that Owen could not wear the sash because it would cause him to “stand out” from other graduates.

Owen after graduation, displaying his military sash, with his mother, Teal, and “Bonus Dad.”

The issue has sparked frustration for the family, who say the purpose of the sash was precisely to recognize Owen’s military dreams and future service.

“Graduation is a time when students are recognized for their accomplishments,” Erhard said. “Students receive awards, honors, cords, certificates, and other distinctions. Owen earned the right to wear his military sash, and we wanted that accomplishment recognized.”

Owen has been sworn in, went to the Military Operations and Training Station, and has signed his paperwork to join the military. 

He will be headed to basic training in July of this year.

According to Erhard, she questioned the decision and argued that similar military or special-recognition attire had been permitted for students in previous years. She pointed to photographs from a 2021 Port Allegany High School graduation ceremony that appear to show graduates wearing distinctive sashes or cords.

Port Allegany High School Principal Mark Budd giving a certificate to an unnamed student in 2021 who is wearing a military sash.
An unnamed student in 2021 wearing a military sash at the Port Allegany High School.

Erhard also contends that neither the student handbook nor the school’s published rules and codes of conduct contain language explicitly prohibiting a graduating student from wearing a military sash during commencement exercises.

When she raised those concerns with school administration, Erhard said the conversation ended abruptly.

“He told me he wasn’t going to argue with me,” she said. “I felt completely dismissed.”

The family believes Owen was unfairly singled out and that the decision limited his ability to express pride in his military standing. Teal Erhard argues that recognizing military service should be viewed in the same light as other academic, athletic, or extracurricular achievements that are commonly celebrated during graduation ceremonies.

Photos provided by the family show Owen wearing the military sash after graduation. The family says he was ultimately unable to wear it during the official commencement ceremony.

Owen with his father and “Bonus Mom,” Giselle.

The dispute has also raised broader questions about how graduation attire policies are interpreted and enforced, particularly when students seek to display distinctions related to military service, career commitments, or other achievements.

A phone call to the Port Allegany High School by Monarch Media was unanswered, and a message was left, therefore the school district’s perspective on the matter was not available at the time this article was prepared.

For the Erhard family, however, the issue remains deeply personal.

“Owen worked hard and earned that recognition,” said Erhard. “We believe he should have been allowed to celebrate that achievement alongside his classmates.”

Monarch Media welcomes responses from Port Allegany School District officials regarding this matter and will update this story if additional information becomes available.