ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTW) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed the American Indians Graduating with Honors Act into law on Wednesday, according to a news release.

The legislation was introduced by Republican Rep. Jarrod Lowery of Robeson County, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, according to the release.

The law allows for “a student that is, or is eligible to be, enrolled as a member of a state or federally recognized Indian tribe shall be allowed to wear objects of culture significance as part of the student’s regalia at any graduation ceremony,” the release reads.

“With this new law, American Indian students will be able to have the honor of wearing a feather at the very important life event that is high school graduation,” Lowery said in the release. “This law now brings clarity to all school boards across the state that they can no longer deny American Indian students the ability to wear a bird feather at graduations.”

According to the release, 1,000 American Indian students graduate from North Carolina schools each year, giving the state one of the largest student populations in the country.