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Irregular News for 04.17.06
Carriere, MS -- U.S. Marines can travel "from the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli," but not to the senior prom at Pearl River Central High School.
The school's age policy prohibits a high school senior from taking her 21-year-old boyfriend to the prom.
Christopher Raffo and Leah Lott, students at different schools, began dating about four years ago, when both were lifeguards at Hide-A-Way Lake.
He was a senior and she was a freshman, and since then, they have dated off and on.
Now Lott is a senior at Pearl River Central and Raffo is a Marine headed to Iraq in September, and their relationship is as strong as ever.
"We're always goofing off together," Lott said. "We get along so well, and we have been talking about getting married; when you love someone so much, there's no doubt in your mind."
Lott reserved a dress for her May 13 senior prom, and Raffo is scheduled to be home for 30 days. Everything seemed to be working out perfectly.
Except that the Pearl River Central School Board says Raffo is too old for the prom.
Earlier this month, board members listened to pleas from Lott and her parents, and Raffo's parents, asking to allow the couple to attend the prom.
The board chose to discuss the matter and vote behind closed doors, and then tell Lott the outcome the next morning at school.
"My principal wanted me to go see him in the morning on my break after first period," Lott said. "He told me they set a rule and they're not making any exceptions; I cried all of second period."
State law allows public boards to hold secret sessions if they chose. Elected officials are not required nor can they be forced to discuss the public's business in private.
School boards will often use executive sessions to discuss matters that concern a student, which was the reason the PRC board chose to discuss the issue in private, according to board attorney Nathan Farmer.
However, the Lotts and Raffos had already given public statements during the meeting and used real names.
"It's my senior year, and then to get the news that he is going to Iraq," Lott said, pausing to fight back tears. "My senior prom is a big event, and the big events mean the most to me."
Though the couple is not allowed to attend the prom, the school's principal did say they could stop by for a few minutes to take photos, but then they would have to leave, according to Lott.
"We're not going," Lott said. "We're not getting all dressed up just to go take pictures."
According to the school attorney, the board adopted an age policy about two years ago, prohibiting students from bringing dates who are 21 or older to high school dances.
Superintendent Dennis Penton said the policy was made to apply some consistency.
"The reason for the policy is that there was such a great age discrepancy between the students and their dates, and to have some consistency they simply chose an age limit," he said.
Neither PRC Principal Lauren Harris, nor other school board members returned messages left by the Sun Herald on Thursday seeking comment.
It's unclear why the board adopted the policy, but some parents believe worries over alcohol being smuggled into the dance prompted the rule. Pearl River is a dry county.
Sherwin Taylor, who joined the board in January, could not say whether alcohol played a part in adopting the policy, but said this is not the first time the policy has been enforced.
"We had students in the past who wanted to bring older students with them, and that's the policy - no one over 21," he said.
source
Carriere, MS -- U.S. Marines can travel "from the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli," but not to the senior prom at Pearl River Central High School.
The school's age policy prohibits a high school senior from taking her 21-year-old boyfriend to the prom.
Christopher Raffo and Leah Lott, students at different schools, began dating about four years ago, when both were lifeguards at Hide-A-Way Lake.
He was a senior and she was a freshman, and since then, they have dated off and on.
Now Lott is a senior at Pearl River Central and Raffo is a Marine headed to Iraq in September, and their relationship is as strong as ever.
"We're always goofing off together," Lott said. "We get along so well, and we have been talking about getting married; when you love someone so much, there's no doubt in your mind."
Lott reserved a dress for her May 13 senior prom, and Raffo is scheduled to be home for 30 days. Everything seemed to be working out perfectly.
Except that the Pearl River Central School Board says Raffo is too old for the prom.
Earlier this month, board members listened to pleas from Lott and her parents, and Raffo's parents, asking to allow the couple to attend the prom.
The board chose to discuss the matter and vote behind closed doors, and then tell Lott the outcome the next morning at school.
"My principal wanted me to go see him in the morning on my break after first period," Lott said. "He told me they set a rule and they're not making any exceptions; I cried all of second period."
State law allows public boards to hold secret sessions if they chose. Elected officials are not required nor can they be forced to discuss the public's business in private.
School boards will often use executive sessions to discuss matters that concern a student, which was the reason the PRC board chose to discuss the issue in private, according to board attorney Nathan Farmer.
However, the Lotts and Raffos had already given public statements during the meeting and used real names.
"It's my senior year, and then to get the news that he is going to Iraq," Lott said, pausing to fight back tears. "My senior prom is a big event, and the big events mean the most to me."
Though the couple is not allowed to attend the prom, the school's principal did say they could stop by for a few minutes to take photos, but then they would have to leave, according to Lott.
"We're not going," Lott said. "We're not getting all dressed up just to go take pictures."
According to the school attorney, the board adopted an age policy about two years ago, prohibiting students from bringing dates who are 21 or older to high school dances.
Superintendent Dennis Penton said the policy was made to apply some consistency.
"The reason for the policy is that there was such a great age discrepancy between the students and their dates, and to have some consistency they simply chose an age limit," he said.
Neither PRC Principal Lauren Harris, nor other school board members returned messages left by the Sun Herald on Thursday seeking comment.
It's unclear why the board adopted the policy, but some parents believe worries over alcohol being smuggled into the dance prompted the rule. Pearl River is a dry county.
Sherwin Taylor, who joined the board in January, could not say whether alcohol played a part in adopting the policy, but said this is not the first time the policy has been enforced.
"We had students in the past who wanted to bring older students with them, and that's the policy - no one over 21," he said.
source