Mt Healthy high school withholding a diploma because a family cheered at graduation

[MWM]

Originally Posted by oneupper

OT perhaps.

From that same site that brought the Diploma/Cheering story:

I think we can all get behind this young lady.
There was probably too much cheering at that graduation. She'll probably do the service if needed.

Unbelievable story. Like Kitty, I couldn't hold back the tears. Good thing I'm home alone right now.

[hebroncougar]

Originally Posted by MWM

I'm with Roy and oneupper on this. There needs to be action taken against those people who never think about how their actions effect other people, who say we're going to do whatever we want regardless of whether it infringes on others. It's all about us. I'm guessing their tune would be a lot different if their kid's name wouldn't have been heard. I doubt they would have just said "it's ok, their baby was graduating so they had a right to celebrate. We didn't need to hear Anthony's name."

Yachtzee's point about length of graduation and who could and couldn't attend is very appropriate. If people think nothing should happen here, is it ok then for everyone to do the same? Or should those who don't hear the names of their family member just accept that as ok? Are you ok with not hearing your child's name at graduation.

Turn up the PA then, so everyone can hear regardless. And sorry, these kids worked for four years to walk (I suppose sometimes more), grandma and grandpa can sit through a 3 hour graduation. If they can't, don't go. I wonder if let's say, this kid had down syndrome, and people stood up and gave him a standing O. Community service? I had a girl in class 3 years ago, her IQ was a 68. Mom and dad requested I give them all work several weeks ahead of time, so she could keep up. I was skeptical. The girl passed my class with a B. She had special ed collaborator in class to help her with tests and such, but she did the majority of the work on her own. Our guidance counselors and special ed dept. wanted her to get off of diploma track, and get on an easier track. Her mom and dad were extremely insistent about her staying on the "normal" track. She'll be a Senior next year, and she's on regular track. It would be a damn shame if her mom and dad couldn't cheer for her on graduation day. Or what if a kid is the first in his family to graduate from high school. No cheering then? I'm sorry, but what I saw on tape was not out of line. I think the first time someone gets out of line, the speaker pauses (so no one doesn't hear a next name), and pretty rudely reminds people not to do such. Most people in the audience would turn and glare at the offenders, and it would pretty much stop. Again, turn up the PA, pause, do whatever. As long as people aren't blowing air horns, and shooting off fireworks, or going on for 10 seconds, I don't think it's a big deal.

[hebroncougar]

Originally Posted by oneupper

OT perhaps.

From that same site that brought the Diploma/Cheering story:

I think we can all get behind this young lady.
There was probably too much cheering at that graduation. She'll probably do the service if needed.

That's an inspirational story.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by MWM

I'm with Roy and oneupper on this. There needs to be action taken against those people who never think about how their actions effect other people, who say we're going to do whatever we want regardless of whether it infringes on others. It's all about us. I'm guessing their tune would be a lot different if their kid's name wouldn't have been heard. I doubt they would have just said "it's ok, their baby was graduating so they had a right to celebrate. We didn't need to hear Anthony's name."

Yachtzee's point about length of graduation and who could and couldn't attend is very appropriate. If people think nothing should happen here, is it ok then for everyone to do the same? Or should those who don't hear the names of their family member just accept that as ok? Are you ok with not hearing your child's name at graduation.

Except you aren't punishing the people who infringed. You are punishing someone else.

[MWM]

Originally Posted by hebroncougar

Turn up the PA then, so everyone can hear regardless. And sorry, these kids worked for four years to walk (I suppose sometimes more), grandma and grandpa can sit through a 3 hour graduation. If they can't, don't go.

So the rest of the world should have to make all the edfort for inconsiderate and selfish people? Turning up the PA will not fix the problem.

And why should important people have to stay home? If everyone is considerate of everyone else, there's no need. And you say 3 hours, but what about 4,5 or 6. If everyone does what these people did then that's what larger schools are facing.

You're creating false choices in an attempt to accommodate these types of people. I think it's much easier to have everyone respect those around them.

It would be a damn shame if her mom and dad couldn't cheer for her on graduation day.

That's a classic strawman. No one is saying they shouldn't cheer. Just don't stop the ceremony. It's not the hard.

[dougdirt]

Give everyone headphones. Problem solved. Sorry, you simply can't give someone community service for cheering outside of a courtroom, and even then, you get a warning from the judge before something like that would happen.

Lady is on a power trip.

[MWM]

I have no desire to sit through a graduation ceremony with headphones on. And how you gonna provide headphones for thousands of people?

And once again people are saying its simply for cheering. It's not.

[hebroncougar]

Originally Posted by MWM

So the rest of the world should have to make all the edfort for inconsiderate and selfish people? Turning up the PA will not fix the problem.

And why should important people have to stay home? If everyone is considerate of everyone else, there's no need. And you say 3 hours, but what about 4,5 or 6. If everyone does what these people did then that's what larger schools are facing.

You're creating false choices in an attempt to accommodate these types of people. I think it's much easier to have everyone respect those around them.





That's a classic strawman. No one is saying they shouldn't cheer. Just don't stop the ceremony. It's not the hard.

Kind of like the student in question huh? Inconsiderate and selfish? For cheering a kid? Sorry, I ain't buying that argument. Why won't turning up the PA solve the problem. You'd hear names. That's what you're griping about. If they are 6 hours long, split the graduations in half. That's what colleges do, graduate by "school". I do notice the rest of the crowd has to be considerate for you.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by MWM

And once again people are saying its simply for cheering. It's not.

So you can now punish people for cheering for to long by 'sentencing them to community service'? Again, this isn't a courtroom. You simply can't do that. Superintendents are not judges.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by MWM

I have no desire to sit through a graduation ceremony with headphones on. And how you gonna provide headphones for thousands of people?

And once again people are saying its simply for cheering. It's not.

Well, I have no desire to sign a piece of paper that is issued from a bully pulpit, which evidently this one is from.

20 hours community service for the family?

Laughable, bureaucratic nonsense.

Bite me... would be my reply

[MWM]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Well, I have no desire to sign a piece of paper that is issued from a bully pulpit, which evidently this one is from.

20 hours community service for the family?

Laughable, bureaucratic nonsense.

Bite me... would be my reply

So what should be done?

[MWM]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

So you can now punish people for cheering for to long by 'sentencing them to community service'? Again, this isn't a courtroom. You simply can't do that. Superintendents are not judges.

It's impossible to have a discussion if people refuse to not misrepresent the opposing viewpoint. How many times does it need to be said that it's not because they were cheering. Geez.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by MWM

So what should be done?

Give the kid his diploma, don't blame him for the cheers and tell the school to pull the plug out of their butts and let life be a little more than protocol and rules, in short live life, not inhibit it.

[MWM]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Give the kid his diploma, don't blame him for the cheers and tell the school to pull the plug out of their butts and let life be a little more than protocol and rules, in short live life, not inhibit it.

So families should be able to cheer as long as they want at graduations? If that's your opinion that's cool, but if everyone followed that pattern these things would take forever.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Give everyone headphones. Problem solved. Sorry, you simply can't give someone community service for cheering outside of a courtroom, and even then, you get a warning from the judge before something like that would happen.

Lady is on a power trip.

In this day and age, when schools are laying off teachers due to falling property tax revenues, do you think they can afford headphones and the system needed to operate them? That brings up another issue: most larger schools can't accommodate the number of guests for graduation on campus, so they have to rent out an outside facility. If you factor in time for set up and tear down, you're already looking renting the place for 6 hrs for a 2 hr ceremony. At that length, its cutting it close for a facility that might have 2 different graduations in the same day, or maybe a morning graduation and some other event in the evening. Stretch it out to four hours or more and the facility is going to charge to rent the place for the whole day, another expense schools could do without. I think schools are more likely to cancel graduation altogether and mail everyone their diplomas than buy headphones for everyone or just have 4 hr graduations.