DAYTON — In spite of a recent suspension over a pretty pastel dress, Evette Reay walked across the stage with the rest of her West Side High School class and accepted her diploma Wednesday night.

Reay maintained a GPA of 3.9 and was accepted into the honors program at Idaho State University. She’ll enter the university with 60 college credits, just a few credits short of junior status.

Her mother, Michelle Reay, said Evette worked hard during her four years at West Side High School in Dayton, which is west of Preston, and she feels like her daughter was singled out when the school suspended her Tuesday for violating the school dress code.

Tuesday, with just 30 minutes left during her last day at West Side High, teacher Legrand Leavitt told Evette to call her mom and have her mom bring a change of clothes because her green dress with a scalloped edge was too short and violated the school’s dress code.

“I felt like I was being picked on,” Evette said. “But it was the last day of school. I was thinking, ‘I’m graduating,’ that’s why I wore the dress. I wanted to feel good about myself.”

Michelle said according to the district’s dress code dresses must reach the top of the knee. Evette’s dress was a few inches above her knees.

“I approved the dress. My rule is that (the dress) has to reach the tips of her fingers with her arms down at her side,” Michelle said.

Evette did call her mom and ask her to bring a different outfit, but she ended up being suspended for insubordination.

“While Evette was calling me, the teacher was calling the superintendent,” Michelle said. “By the time I got there, she was suspended.”

West Side Superintendent Spencer Barzee declined to comment about the suspension Wednesday.

Both mother and daughter believe that the West Side School District should revisit its outdated dress code, which also bans leggings, tight-fitting clothing, tank tops and some shorts.

“It’s 2015, we need to gear young people to go out into the world,” Evette said. “You should dress for success, but you should be able to be comfortable too.”

Evette and Michelle also said that the school didn’t follow its own handbook, which states that if a student is inappropriately dressed, they can call home for appropriate clothing or the school can provide clothing to wear that day.

Michelle, a single mom, operates Miss E Fashion, along with her mother, Sandi Grunic, and her daughter Evette, the company’s namesake.

Evette plans to study business and marketing at ISU.

“She just fills me with pride,” Michelle said. “She’s a good kid, and she’s on the ball.”