Students Lose Diplomas Over Cheers

[Foxy Brown]

Caisha Gayles graduated with honors last month, but she is still waiting for her diploma. The reason: the whoops of joy from the audience as she crossed the stage.

Gayles was one of five students denied diplomas from the lone public high school in Galesburg after enthusiastic friends or family members cheered for them during commencement.

[jimmy]

What a load of nonsense. Denied a diploma because of a loud crowd? Lame.

[Angelus]

I hope she and the other people get their diplomas.

[Bleachhh]

words cannot describe how STUPID that is

[C60533]

That is just plain stupid. If you wanna punish someone, fine they ppl or cut the ceremony for a bit. They worked hard to get that diploma. You can't just deny someone that because some people are happy for them.

[Loopy]

What kind of retard would do something like this?

[nop]

Bad crowd control.  Must be a US fascist and racist school.

Quote 1:  Another student who was denied her diploma, Nadia Trent, said she will probably let the school keep it if her appeals fail.
   "It's not fair. Somebody could not like me and just decide to yell to get me in trouble. I can't control everyone, just the ones I gave tickets to," Trent said.

Quote 2: In Galesburg, the issue has taken on added controversy with accusations that the students were targeted because of their race: four are black and one is Hispanic. Parents say cheers also erupted for white students, and none of them was denied a diploma.

Quote 3:  The noise "was like three seconds. 

[schol3s]

the school is just LAME!!!!

[Maikeru86]

wow... they can't recieve their diplomas because people cheered for them? One of the dumbest things i ever heard of.

[Asmodai]

It's stupid.

The people who are saying it's not discriminatory have obviously never been to a graduation. Most often it's the minority parents who cheer loudest. Quite often it's the first diploma in the family and the kid is taking advantage of an opportunity her parents wouldn't have had. So yeah, the parents and family cheer more loudly.

I know the school didn't intend to target minorities with the policy, but 30 seconds thought would have suggested that it does.

[reyfer]

And then americans think that latinos and asians and almost everyone else is weird....

[vicmu]

wow... but during my grad ceremony, they handed us fake diplomas. Our real ones would be in the mail.

[orangesocks]

"It was like one of the worst days of my life," said Gayles, who had a 3.4 grade-point average and officially graduated, but does not have the keepsake diploma to hang on her wall. "You walk across the stage and then you can't get your diploma because of other people cheering for you. It was devastating, actually."

That's depressing! It's pretty unrealistic to try and pressure ALL families and friends to withhold from cheering. That said, I feel bad for her family and friends. They must beat themselves up for making her day crap just because they were excited.

[sid_coz]

Unbelivable!!!! The wierdest I have heard lately. Poor students...... well in a way their fault to study in a screwed up institution like this!!!

[ASSEMblerEX]

Get a lawyer and sue. You will win.

[xtree]

that sux.  kids work so hard to graduate and parents wait for this moment.   i think they should given that right to cheer for their kids.

[deuskatamari]

I want to cheer when i see Nijon-jin cheering or singing.  It is polite to join in and sing or cheer with them!