Associated Press - June 22, 2009 6:35 AM ET

NEW YORK (AP) - A teenager says she was forced to choose between her religion and her high school graduation ceremony.

Li Morse won't be at the Mott Hall High School commencement in Harlem. It's being held on Saturday, the Jewish sabbath.

The 18-year-old is the only Jewish student in her grade.

The principal and Board of Education did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Her mother, Rochelle Levine, calls the alternative offered by school officials "peculiar." The teen was invited to march down an aisle of the school library by herself on Friday.

Levine says religious issues have been accommodated in the past. She says classmates made sure the senior trip didn't fall on a Jewish holiday.

Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.