#FreePatty: Miss America Nina Davuluri Asks Central York High School To Reverse Patrick Farves Suspension For Asking Her To Prom [PHOTO]

Miss America Nina Davuluri has asked a Pennsylvania high school to reverse its decision to suspend Central York High School senior Patrick Farves after he asked her to the prom while she made a presentation at the school last week.

The school considered Farves’ asking Davuluri to the prom Thursday to be a distraction from Miss America’s presentation on the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies, the York Dispatch reported Friday. A school administrator learned of his proposal in advance and warned the student not to go through with it because it would be considered “inappropriate.” But Farves, 18, went through with his plan. Davuluri graciously said she couldn’t take up the offer because of her schedule.

But on Saturday, Miss America said in a Facebook post that Farves doesn’t deserve to be suspended for 3 ½ days. He has already served part of the suspension.

"On Thursday, a student invited me to prom and gave me a flower while I was giving a presentation in York, Pennsylvania. I was flattered by the gesture, although I am unfortunately unable to attend due to my travel schedule. I later learned of the disciplinary action taken and reached out to the school in hopes that they will reconsider their decision,” Davuluri wrote on the Miss America Organization Facebook page. “"Meeting and interacting with students across the country has been an important and rewarding part of my year as Miss America. 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."

Farves said he didn’t mean to be disrespectful at the assembly.

"I understand that they [the administration] feel disrespected," Farves told the Dispatch. "It wasn't my intent." But “I did kind of overshadow what she was saying. She was saying a really strong message about diversity, and most of the kids were focused on what I had just done."

Besides Miss America, Farves’ classmates and many Twitter users also protested the suspension. They launched the Twitter hashtag #freepatty in solidarity with the high school senior, and some students wore blue to show their support.