knapplc
International Man of Mystery
What are we protecting the world from? This is utterly ridiculous:
Ohio school withholds diplomas for excess cheering
CINCINNATI (AP) -- A suburban Cincinnati high school held onto four graduates' diplomas and required community service as punishment for what it describes as overly boisterous cheering by their families during the graduation ceremony.
The mother of one of the graduates, who was one of the leading tacklers on the Mount Healthy school football team, doesn't think he should get flagged for excessive celebration.
"What does that have to do with him?" Traci Cornist told Cincinnati radio station WDBZ.
She doesn't dispute there was a lot of loud cheering for Anthony Cornist. Cornist also said she teaches her children to be accountable for their own actions, but she doesn't think he should be punished for what other people do.
"It took away so much from how happy I was," she said. "It makes absolutely no sense."
Schools Superintendent Lori Handler said Wednesday the problem wasn't the loudness of the yells, but their long duration, which she said halted the ceremony.
After past disruptions, a new policy was implemented this year aimed at making sure that all parents can hear their children's names called and celebrated. When they ordered graduation tickets, parents agreed that "any disruptive behavior" would result in their child's diploma being held until 20 hours of community service is completed, she said.
"Our whole push for this was to make sure that every single student's name is heard and recognized," Handler said, adding that that most parents are pleased with the new rules. "Everybody understands that upfront."