Miss America asked a Pennsylvania high school to reconsider a decision to suspend a senior who asked her to prom during a school assembly.
Nina Davuluri wrote on the Miss America Organization’s Facebook page Saturday to say that while she could not attend the prom because of her schedule, she was flattered by 18-year-old Patrick Farves’ request and has contacted the school about reversing the decision.
“Meeting and interacting with students across the country has been an important and rewarding part of my year as Miss America,” she wrote. “I always encourage students to follow their dreams through education, and I’m inspired daily by the enthusiasm and aspirations of the bright young adults I have the pleasure of meeting through my travels.”
The school was aware that Farves intended to ask Davuluri during her Thursday presentation about the importance of math and science education and discouraged him from doing so, the Associated Press reports. He received a three-day in-school suspension and later apologized for the disruption.
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Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com