Students don't get diploma due to excess cheering from crowd

[Drolefille]

The students are going to go to court rather than to sign an agreement. The families say they weren't responsible for the cheering and they won't lie and admit to it just for a piece of paper.

[DeltAlum]

Commencement was cancelled for my wife's college graduating class because the university was closed by riots following the Kent State killings.

Say they're boring or whatever, but it hurt after four long hard years of obtaining high academic honors.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

The students are going to go to court rather than to sign an agreement. The families say they weren't responsible for the cheering and they won't lie and admit to it just for a piece of paper.

Where did you find the story update?

[Drolefille]

Posted it in the AKA thread, but the NEWEST update is that they're getting their diplomas and the school's got its tail between its legs. A Peoria lawyer took the case pro bono and threatened a suit. Surprise! Diplomas for everyone. The Illinois State Board of Education wouldn't support the school either because it punishes the students for things they have no control over.

Students happy to receive diplomas
Attorney sent request to Galesburg administrators
From the Peoria Journal Star.

Jeff Green, an attorney with the Janssen Law Center in Peoria, announced Tuesday he would represent the students for free, demand an apology and the diplomas from the district or the matter would go to court....
The Illinois State Board of Education's decision not to support the district's policy to withhold the diplomas also played a factor, Denisar wrote.
...
Galesburg High School Principal Tom Chiles stayed in his office and out of sight as a secretary slid the paper across the counter to Trent and Kelley in an unceremonious end to the incident that has created such a buzz.

[UGAalum94]

I just happened to see the last post, Drolefille.

Thanks for the update even though it took me a long time to see it. I'm not surprised. That's the way it usually goes.

I'll be honest though; it would have been the way I'd expect it to go even if they had just removed the guest from the event.

It seems like no matter what schools try to do, someone tries to fight the policy and the district has to decide if it's worthwhile to go to court.

In this case, even favoring the policy like I do, I suspect it would have been expensive for the district to defend the suit even if they won it. And I suspect that when it came right down to it, they were afraid of it looking like racial discrimination and that it was going to come down to people having just turned in names, rather than any objective recording like video or something.

I wonder if the district will try to do anything next year. I bet not. So while it maybe a win for kids not being held responsible for guests' behavior, it's probably a loss for decorum at their graduations.

[Munchkin03]

I'm glad this silly little incident has been resolved. It was just a HS graduation.

Does anyone still know where their HS diploma is? I think mine is somewhere in storage at my parents' house. I don't think I really looked at it after commencement--I had gotten into my dream college and was ready to get the hell out of Dodge! My college diploma, on the other hand, is hanging up here in my apartment. My grad school diploma is in storage too, but once I get a stupid Columbia frame, I'm putting it in the office.

[JonInKC]

My college graduation ceremony sucked. Some dean droning on and on with some motivational sermonette. This is my day, I don't think anyone is interested in you waxing philosophical. Give me my diploma, old man Winter.