This high schooler wanted to take his grandma to her first prom. His school said no.

The day he turned 18, Alabama high school senior Bryce Maine asked his grandmother, Catherine Maine, to attend his high school prom with him. He did so with a classic “promposal”: a sign decorated in purple, green and blue with the word “PROM?” on it.

As Bryce saw it, it was a chance to give his “nanny,” who had never gone to a prom before, a new experience and show his appreciation for her.

“She's never been to a prom so I figured, 'Why not take her?’” he told CNN. “Every woman deserves to go to a prom, no matter how old you are.”

[Update: School district plans 'senior' dance] 

As it turns out, however, Bryce’s high school, Eufaula High School, which is just on the border of Georgia, disagreed. The school has a policy of not allowing anyone over 20 years old to attend the dance, and they were not making any exceptions, according to WMC.

“Safety of students and staff is the first and most important of the many tasks of a school administrator,” the school principal wrote in a statement. “For the 10 years I have been high school principal, we have denied requests each year from students asking to bring older dates to prom. We do not chance leaving any stone unturned when it comes to safety. Most high schools have an age limit for prom attendees.”

According to WTVF, school officials are worried that the grandmother would supply underage students with alcohol.

The situation has drawn intense social media scrutiny after Bryce’s cousin, Sarah Catherine, posted about it on Facebook.

“My blood is boiling right now,” she wrote in her post, before explaining the circumstances. In a later update to the post, she wrote that the board of education told her they believed if they made an exception for Catherine Maine, other students would attempt to do the same thing as a “joke and make the school a mockery.”

As of Friday afternoon, the post has been shared more than 3,000 times, prompting the school to issue a statement saying Bryce’s father would meet with officials on Monday, per WTVM. Photos of Catherine Maine wearing the dress she has already picked out for the night have made the rounds on Facebook and Twitter, and the hashtag #LetNannyGoToProm has become a rallying cry.

The outpouring of support has extended into the community as well, per Yahoo News.

“I was disappointed and heartbroken when the principal told me I couldn’t, but as far as my classmates, about most of everyone including teachers were by my side backing me up,” Bryce Maine told Yahoo.

And according to Sarah Catherine, others in the community have reached out with offers to help. A nearby health clinic has offered to host a prom for the two, although they will be out of town on the date offered, per WTVM. Meanwhile, the local Eufaula country club has offered to host the grandson and grandmother for dinner on prom night, an offer the pair say they will accept.

“She'll wear her gown and I'll put on my tuxedo and we will get all dressed up, go out to a fancy meal, and have our own prom,” Bryce Maine told CNN.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 4:36 PM with the headline "This high schooler wanted to take his grandma to her first prom. His school said no.."