In this April 11, 2015 photo, Christian Titman with the Titman family representing the Miwok people dances during the Grand Entry at the 24th Fresno State First Nations Powwow held at Fresno State's O'Neill Park in Fresno, Calif. Titman sued his California school district on Monday, June 1, 2015, over its refusal to let him wear an eagle feather during his high school graduation ceremony, claiming his rights to freedom of expression and religion in the state constitution are being violated. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Native American student who sued his California school district because it refused to let him wear an eagle feather to his high school graduation will be able to wear the sacred item after all.

Attorneys for Christian Titman and officials with Clovis Unified School District reached an agreement that allows him to wear the feather in his hair during the Thursday ceremony and attach it to his cap for the traditional tassel turn, said Rebecca Farmer, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, one of the groups representing Titman.

Titman's mother, Renee, said the district had refused both options until the ACLU got involved.

"I'm very happy with this outcome," she said. "But it would never have gotten this far if they had said, 'Let's figure out a compromise.' We would have worked with them, but there was no working with them."

The district confirmed an agreement was reached Tuesday but said it was "largely consistent" with previous offers made to accommodate Titman, 18. He is a member of the Pit River Tribe, which considers eagle feathers sacred and symbolic of a significant accomplishment.

"It has been our goal from the beginning to find a mutually agreeable solution that honors and respects the culture of our Native American students while affirming our long-standing traditions and standards honoring every one of our graduating seniors," Superintendent Janet Young said in the statement.

Earlier Tuesday, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Donald Black suggested the two parties try to reach a resolution, noting that Titman and the district had raised the possibility that he could wear the feather in his hair, the Fresno Bee reported.

Titman's lawyers said in a lawsuit filed Monday that he wanted to mark his achievement and honor his heritage by attaching the 5-inch feather to the tassel of his cap during his graduation from Clovis High School, which is about 10 miles northeast of Fresno. They accused the district of violating Titman's rights to freedom of expression and religion under the state constitution.

In a letter to Titman's attorneys in May, Young said the district had a strict graduation dress code. It previously refused to allow stoles, leis, rosaries and necklaces on graduation caps and gowns, and its dress code is neutral to any religion, Young said.

The issue has come up in other U.S. school districts. Last month, a federal judge in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ruled that an American Indian student couldn't wear an eagle feather on her graduation cap.

Chief U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell said the school's policy of prohibiting all decorations on graduation caps did not violate the U.S. Constitution's right to exercise religion freely because it was religion-neutral and applied generally.

Titman's case was different because it was being brought under the California Constitution.

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Associated Press writer Olga R. Rodriguez contributed to this story

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Calif-student-gets-OK-to-wear-eagle-feather-at-6303533.php