Posted on 06/16/2009 6:26:58 PM PDT by Artemis Webb
For teens, there is no greater joy than graduating high school. Shaking off the shackles of education and claiming that hard-fought diploma is truly an epic day. Unfortunately, for several students at Bonny Eagle High School in Maine, their natural exuberance has led to some surprisingly serious problems.
On Friday night, when the senior class was waiting to graduate, excitement began to grow. Students bounced a large inflatable rubber duck. The noise level rose. And then came "the kiss." When called, one student walked on stage to receive his diploma and blew a kiss to his family. The school administrator, clearly not the sentimental sort, sent the student back to his seat ... sans diploma.
The seemingly harsh punishment has sent the Web all aflutter. Searches on "student denied diploma" and "bonny eagle high school" are both through the roof. Additionally, blogs and news papers are chiming in with opinions on whether or not the administration overreacted. The student's mother has given interviews and is quite upset at her son's treatment. According to an article from Fox News the outraged mother said, "A bow, a kiss to your mom is not misbehavior."
But the administrators feel they were just enforcing the rules that students agreed to. At a meeting following the debacle, school superintendent Suzanne Lukas said that "if a student doesn't adhere to the expectations, then the consequences are clearly spelled out."
(Excerpt) Read more at buzz.yahoo.com ...
reason 3,234,567,231,238 to homeschool
I just checked the Bonny Eagle High School website. It appears to have crashed.
In this case, a lawsuit is in order.
He is fortunate to be free of that place.
Who says the gestapo isn’t running our public schools?
amen brother
Theroretically, there’s no need for high school anymore. Many schools such as Penn Foster offer high school diplomas or equivalencies online and kids can just study at home. My daughter’s mom and I are discussing whether to homeschool our 8-year old this fall. Lucky for her, she works from home.
That punishment seems a bit excessive... I wonder though, if the student can sue the school on “breach of contract” as he had fulfilled the requirements to get the diploma yet was denied it.
IOW, I bet if this got to a jury-trial the guy would be a shoe-in win.
When I read the headline I assumed there was going to be a big homo or lesbian kiss involved...HE BLEW A KISS TO HIS PARENTS? OH..The horrors! What is wrong with people...I’ll tell you...give someone a little power and they’ll make sure they use every last inch of it. The official will end up apologizing..it’s so stupid.
LOL! You got that right!
I think Ubama has found his Health Care Czar.
If it was a kiss to his boyfriend that would have been ok.
What kind of people would deny a really happy kid his diploma which he earned over a period of years?
Scum and low class POS, that’s who.
Well hell, why didn't you say so? Case dismissed!
A real juvenile delinquent there. Where did the parents go wrong?
They’ll be putting one of those ankle tracking devices on the kid before you know it.
Last year I attended my Goddaughter’s graduation from a Catholic High School in Miami. I was stunned at the lack of decorum - the most of them acted like unruly animals (parents included). Profanity, vulgar behavior, and the horrendously loud blasting of airhorns in the auditorium was tolerated equally by parents and staff. Seems after the event would have been an appropriate time to whoop it up...
If that had been the case, not only would the two graduates have been given their diplomas, they would have been showcased on "Good Morning America" and invited to the White House to meet the emperor and empress.
Do it!
And if you need any help, PM me.
My 11 year old is about to start 9th grade
My 9 year old is in 7th.
We use Switched on Schoolhouse.
Thanks for the tip on High School!
If this were a private school, this would not be in the news. Why? Because the parents freely chose the school and agree to the terms. If the private school insists on dignified and orderly commencement ceremonies, and the family knows the consequences, then too bad for the kiss blowing kid.
Ah! But...With government schools the children at there by compulsion ( Armed police, court, and foster care action.) That is why there is a conflict. The government is punishing this young man for exercising his free speech.
Oh, good grief. When I graduated one of the girls got her diploma turned her back to the crowd so those of us in the stands waiting to get our diploma could see her, well, she opened her gown and she was stitch start naked. Closed he gown and went and sat down. My gosh we went wild with laughter and clapping.
Blowing a kiss to your mom and dad, what the hell is wrong with these people?
I may have gotten arrested for it, but if I were the student, I’d have belted that two-bit school “administrator” beotch right in the mouth; right then.
ping
ping
For 15 generations we were there. What has happened to my State?
You mean ALL of Rhode Island is like this?
Best post of the day.
Cut-throat lawyers are camped out in the front yard, licking their lips at the vision of a huge settlement from the school for the outrageous conduct of this petty bureaucrat.
I think that instead of caps and gowns, students should get their diplomas wearing black and white striped jumpsuits. It would be far more appropriate.
Thank you. Thank you. Please. Be seated.
(whew!)This is quite unexpected.
First, I'd like to thank my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for gifting me with this incredible ability to post wise-cracks on a political website....
No kidding.....
I attended a homeschool graduation for 14-16 (I can’t remember the exact count) kids.
It was the most respectful, reverent, and focused ceremony I’ve attended since I graduated from USMC boot camp (seriously; not bragging, just mentioned for emphasis). Two of my neighbor’s kids graduated. There was silence where required, applause where necessary, and PRAYER throughout. Try looking for equivalent behavior in a public school graduation.
I would like to see where it says in the rules that blowing a kiss to mom is grounds for denying a diploma.
Bonny Eagle High School
700 Saco Road
Standish, ME 04084
207 - 929 - 3840
Principal, Beth Schultz
bschultz@sad6.k12.me.us
Assistant Principal,
Lori Napolitano
lnapolitano@sad6.k12.me.us
Assistant Principal,
Kevin Harrington
kharrington@sad6.k12.me.us
Assistant Principal/
Activities Director,
Mike LeGage
mlegage@sad6.k12.me.us
Central Office
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 38, Bar Mills, ME 04004
Address: 100 Main Street Buxton, Maine 04093 929-3831
642-2480
Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Lukas,
suzanne_lukas@sad6.k12.me.us 929-9108
Assistant Superintendent of Schools Carol Weeks,
carol_weeks@sad6.k12.me.us 929-9101
Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Rick Matthews,
rick_matthews@sad6.k12.me.us 929-9146
all numbers are 207 area code.
Give em a piece of your mind.. I know I’m going to!
....finally somebody with the honesty to tell it like it is....and guess what....the riff raff that interrupts the most are the ones headed for a job flipping burgers...they do their best to turn graduations into farces..they do the same thing at their weddings too.....tune into “America’s Trashiest Weddings” on TV to see them in action....more and more schools in our area have adopted a “zero tolerence” policy at graduation ceremonies....and I’m glad.
Because the kid has already graduated, the diploma is his and not the school's.
It is his property and his right to get it.
For instance, when I graduated from UNC, I did not attend the graduation ceremony. They mailed my diploma to me because it was mine.
He has a case.
I think that instead of caps and gowns, students should get their diplomas wearing black and white striped jumpsuits. It would be far more appropriate.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sitting here laughing and laughing! :-)
I wondered what happened to Dolores Umbridge after she left Hogwarts....
PLUS, he has graduated. The diploma certifies he's graduated. If she doesn't get the kid the diploma post-haste she might be talking to attorneys....
Agreed. At my daughters HS graduation 3 years ago on the football field, the people standing at the back had staggeringly boorish and obnoxious behavior. This year, for my son’s graduation, we got there very early to grab seats in the front row so we didn’t have to be right in from of all the noise and air horns. I hate to generalize, but the people standing were all minorities.
...zero tolerence means zero tolerance....a concept quibblers like you will never understand.
This rural Maine school advertises formally that it has a Gay-Straight Alliance as one of its clubs (list is on second page of the PDF). I wonder what kind of special awards are given at the graduation ceremony for participation in this club? No doubt that club plays some role in the graduation and the principal is fine with that.` http://www.sad6.k12.me.us/behs/guidance/01D54958-000F51DF.1/Profile%202008-2009.pdf
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