(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, a school district may issue a high school diploma to a person who:
(1) is an honorably discharged member of the armed forces of the United States;
(2) was scheduled to graduate from high school:
(A) after 1940 and before 1975; or
(B) after 1989; and
(3) left school after completing the sixth or a higher grade, before graduating from high school, to serve in:
(A) World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War, or the war in Afghanistan; or
(B) any other war formally declared by the United States, military engagement authorized by the United States Congress, military engagement authorized by a United Nations Security Council resolution and funded by the United States Congress, or conflict authorized by the president of the United States under the War Powers Resolution of 1973 (50 U.S.C. § 1541 et seq.).
(b) A school district may issue a diploma to a person otherwise eligible under Subsection (a) notwithstanding the fact that the person holds a high school equivalency certificate or is deceased.

(c) The commissioner by rule shall adopt a form for a diploma application to be used by a veteran or a person acting on behalf of a deceased veteran under this section. The commissioner shall specify acceptable evidence of eligibility for a diploma under this section.