not getting a diploma FOR THIS

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**garret**

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92681?fp=1

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."

This isn't the first time that rambunctious (dare we say "fun"?) behavior affected a graduation ceremony at Bonny Eagle. "Four years ago we had some issues with silly string and beach balls," said Lukas.

Man schools are going far.
one school in my district tried to ban hugging
discuss

**jp400**

Old new bud. Sorry to break it too you.

**Lordhat**

Old news? New news to me. That guy deserves to lose his job. It would be a fine way to drive home the absurdity of NOT using your judgement I.E. 'Don't overreact to a harmless incident'.

**Cane**

It was a lady by the name of Suzanne Lukas. It appears that they were having trouble getting the students to settle down and the student in the news article seems to be made an example since he went on stage and blew a kiss.

Just another issue of power struggle and one of many reasons why I loathed High School. The superintendent's career is more than likely over after recieving deserved negative nationwide publicity.

**Ratbarf**

Meh, they wouldn't have power struggles if you could just beat your students. With a cow prod of course. Nothing like a mild dose of electricity to decide that sleeping in class isn't such a good idea after all.

**LuciusAR**

Just to clarify isn't this ceremony purely symbolic in nature? Surely the kid has still passed his exams and therefore graduated?

Or has this child just failed high school because of this?

**warpcrafter**

If somebody had told me in high school that I couldn't sleep in class, I would have just stopped going. Of course, I went to a crappy high school.

**Hordini**

LuciusAR wrote:Just to clarify isn't this ceremony purely symbolic in nature? Surely the kid has still passed his exams and therefore graduated?

Or has this child just failed high school because of this?

I'm pretty sure he just didn't get his diploma at the ceremony. I don't think they can hold it from you much after that.

When I graduated, we didn't get our actual diplomas at the ceremony, we just got the diploma cases. They gave us our diplomas in the library after the ceremony. This was so if anyone acted up during the ceremony (like giving the principle the finger or something), they could withhold the diploma for a short while. I don't think they could keep it forever, they probably just would have made the student write a letter of apology or something, or come in afterward to help clean a few classrooms or something as punishment before finally giving them their diploma. Needless to say, nobody acted up during the ceremony.

**Envy89**

for sleepers.

slamming a book down works well.
or juet let them sleep, and tell the next class to be very quiet and let them sleep

but this is just crazy... "ZOMG a student wants to blow a kiss to his MOTHER... quick get over there and take his diploma"

**LuciusAR**

Hordini wrote:

I'm pretty sure he just didn't get his diploma at the ceremony. I don't think they can hold it from you much after that.

When I graduated, we didn't get our actual diplomas at the ceremony, we just got the diploma cases. They gave us our diplomas in the library after the ceremony. This was so if anyone acted up during the ceremony (like giving the principle the finger or something), they could withhold the diploma for a short while. I don't think they could keep it forever, they probably just would have made the student write a letter of apology or something, or come in afterward to help clean a few classrooms or something as punishment before finally giving them their diploma. Needless to say, nobody acted up during the ceremony.

I must admit we don't have these sort of ceremonies in the UK, not for high school anyway. When I graduated university I went up and received a ceremonial scrap of paper with a ribbon tied round it, the actual certificate had been mailed to me some weeks before. I don't think they can't withhold the qualification once the results are in, if you've passed the exam you've passed the exam. You could moon the crowd and that cant take that away from you.

**Frazzled**

See thats why we won both wars. We're sneakier. Most places do the same but they mail diplomas AFTER the ceremony. I think the issue is they didn't get to Jr. get a photo op moment. Actually trying to deny a diploma for such would engender a lawsuit and likely opportunity for employment elsewhere.

**whatwhat**

Well the title of this thread is a bit confusing then. However still an overreaction and if it is the case they were making an example like Cane said, that isn't fair.

My uni graduation was at lincoln cathedral (a fairly historic and revered place in the uk) in front of his and her lordship of wherever and still no one cared much over much more rowdy activity than blowing a kiss.

**Goliath**

At my school contact games were banned, as were ball games.
We had to play "Personal Space Tag"

**whatwhat**

I find that hard to believe.

**garret**

believe it.
at my school they tried to ban cheerleading because they didnt want to make the other team feel bad

**whatwhat**

Banning ball games outright, believe that? I can't imagine any school which didn't want a sudden appearance of hundreds of annoyed fathers outside there doors would do that. Honestly what would the kids do in p.e. every week, gymnastics?

Although they did ban british buldogs at my school when i was younger, but then to be fair, the way we played that game I could see why.

**garret**

its all about lawsuits.
if you touch someone they can sue you.
the american motto"dude you can totally sue for that".
also its about not ruin a kids selfesteem

**whatwhat**

Aye I'm aware of your 'sue over spilt milk' culture, Golliath is from the uk i think.

**garret**

i know but some people are sue happy evertwhere

**whatwhat**

Well if the school my (non existent theoretical) child went to banned ball games maybe I'd sue them.

**djphranq**

I don't think that Suzy was strict enough... she should have broken out the nipple clamps, electrodes, and ventilated paddle... too lenient, I think she was...

**garret**

WHAT?
what school did you go to
.

**Goliath**

I am from the UK, and ball games were only banned during breaktime, as some one broke someone's nose by kicking a rugby ball in their face.
Contact games were banned because someone fell and broke their collarbone during a game of bulldog.
I go to a very big rugby playing school (2005 winners of the nationwide U15 Daily Mail Cup) and so rugby wasn't banned during games lessons.

**whatwhat**

That is fecking stupid. I hope one of your less intelligent classmates grows bored and ends up burning your school down, right after scrawling fascist all over the headmaster's office. Cause that's what would of happened at my school when I was younger. ...that or the teachers would have burned it down themselves after finding out what one thousand teenagers with nothing to do during their lunch break end up doing to cure their boredom.

**dogma**

That rule (no ball games/contact sports) is pretty common at recess in the states. Actually, the 'no contact sport' rule is essentially ubiquitous. Though I don't know of a single district that has recess after 6th grade, and then only if that is considered a part of primary school. After that you have PE, where most contact sports are still banned.

I also know of several 'alternative' high schools where similar rules are in effect for extracurriculars.

**whatwhat**

talk about wrapping kids in cotton wool.

"News just in, a child has been hurt outdoors. This comes as a major blow to children being let outside."

**Dreadwinter**

I remembered when they banned Dodgeball at my school. They took away all the dodgeballs. So we used Basketballs, which caused issues. But they couldnt take the Basketballs away because that is when the Basketball team got some practice in.

So they gave the dodgeballs back.

But seriously, that superintendent should lose his job for something so petty and stupid as blowing a kiss on stage to ones mother.

**BrookM**

I remember an amusing discussion in my country about how they wanted to make the playgrounds even safer, but it was decided against, people stating that a kid should get a few scrapes and bruises every now and then. It's part of growing up, they're not eggs but little gaks who can take a bit every now and then.

**Fifty**

We played "Death", "Bundle", "Manhunt" and British Bulldog at my school. Great times.

I'm a teacher now and played (proper) British Bulldog with a bunch of year 11 kids (15-16 yr olds) I'd taken away on a camping trip last summer. Bollocks to gak bans and rules. Growing up involves a few bruises and scrapes. feth it, half of 'em carry knives anyway, let 'em learn what real contact is about and they might not stab each other. Half of my kids will be at a stabbing victim's funeral tomorrow who used to be at my school, I've excluded a kid for having a knife in school and I know of at least four stabbing victims amongst my pupils. And people worry about Bulldog? Pfah!

**warpcrafter**

Hah! Sanctioned sports are for conformist weenies anyway. My high school and our rival had regularly scheduled fistfights at our favorite mall to settle things.