Kiss costs student his High School diploma

[Peanut]

This is just ridiculous...

I mean really...was that disruptive?

[ADXC]

Wow, really?


Wait, he blew his family a kiss. How is that...? Arg, this world is just blargh!
Even if he did kiss someone(On the lips), I don't think that is grounds for costing one's diploma.

[Bobtheduck]

I would... almost understand if this were a private school, but it's a public school... In CA, someone could get on the stage and shout "**** this school" and still walk away with their diploma... Maine must be really old fashioned.

[Cognitive Gear]

I honestly don't see how they can withhold a diploma for misconduct at the graduation ceremony. After all, he's already completed all of the academic requirements.

I mean, even if he went up there and flashed the crowd, how is it that they can keep what he has rightfully earned from him? Sure, they could prosecute him for public indecency, but that should have no bearing on his having graduated.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Good grief. It's not even inappropriate behaviour. God forbid someone blows their mum a kiss during the ceremony.

[minakichan]

Oh no.

A public display of affection to the person who raised this kid with her own blood, sweat, and tears for 17 years.

How scandalous.

I think my entire moral code has just been shattered by this licentiousness.

[Smile:)]

Wow! o.o
I some how missed how what he did was wrong... Really, thats just very sad. It was to his family, not like he was just messing around, or something

Clear that guy was just mad that he didn't get to play with the big ducky.

[Gelka]

0.0 that's ridiculous.......

[ShiroiHikari]

This is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. I hope that kid and his family takes the school to court or something because there is no reason for that.

[Shao Feng-Li]

This is just retarded :|

[Mr. Rogers]

I bet that school administrator has cats...lots of cats.

[~darkelfgirl~]

For some odd reason, I'm not surprised. So much ridiculousness today. I really hope he gets his diploma, though! Stinks to work for all those years to have it taken away just for blowing your mom a kiss. I wonder what would have happened to the kid who did the "Crank dat Soulja Boy" dance on stage at my graduation if he went to that school! Public execution LOL!

[Sanji07]

I bet that school administrator has cats...lots of cats.

Hey I have cats. D=

It's sad how a student gets in serious trouble for doing little-to-nothing wrong. I often see that in schools where this happens, students who do MAJOR actions get off fairly easily. It's just sad. Does the Board of Education/Principal/Teachers/whoever chooses disciplinary procedures not know where justice is due?

[Peanut]

I would... almost understand if this were a private school, but it's a public school... In CA, someone could get on the stage and shout "**** this school" and still walk away with their diploma... Maine must be really old fashioned.

At my High School graduation, somebody polished my principals bald head...he still got his diploma...

[LadyRushia]

At my High School graduation, somebody polished my principals bald head...he still got his diploma...

Oh my gosh, that's so awesome. He was a pretty cool guy (the principal was).

I think the public school system is messed up. I'm just glad to be out of it, XD. There's no way this kid won't be able to get his diploma, though. What the school did is clearly stupid and unfair.

[F.M Disciple]

That's just sad right there. All he did was show love and apperciation towards his family.
And then the board decides to take away his diploma? I don't get it.

Is the school having so much problems keeping misbehaviour under control that they can only punish ridicolus insignificent things like blowing a kiss towards your mom? really.

[animewarrior]

>> WUT? lol hah this just proves the world is sinking into insanity even mooore.
wow... I have nothing to say.. other than ... WAAAAAAAAAAT?

[Kaligraphic]

Before we start burning people at the stake and all, a little reading of linked articles reveals

Lukas said any student who didn't receive a diploma at commencement, for whatever reason, was to get it afterward.

so the student is NOT being denied the diploma entirely. The student was simply not presented with it at the ceremony.

While withholding the formal presentation of the diploma for a bow and a blown kiss may seem silly, it is of a reasonable order of magnitude for dealing with unruliness or misbehavior at the event itself. What then follows is simply a question of whether the student's behavior was unruly or out of line. It seems that the principal says that it was, and the student and his family say that it was not. We don't necessarily know if it was done in a disruptive way, or if there was other behavior that perhaps the principal could see but the parents could not. Perhaps the principal believed that this particular student had brought the beach ball. Lacking a statement from the principal on this particular action, we can't really say. For further investigation, the Portland Press Herald article also has the expectations agreement.

Perhaps it was unreasonable, that is one possibility. Another possibility is that the facts that we don't have would show it to be reasonable. But let's wait for the facts, rather than making judgments based on snap emotional responses to very limited information.

[Bobtheduck]

While the actual diploma may be the most important part, the cerimony is very important too. For a lot of people, getting denied the right to walk would be very damaging, and for it to be over something so INCREDIBLY trivial is just unforgivable.

Sorry Kaligraphic, the outrage stands.

[Kaligraphic]

Your outrage is based on only one side of the story. If you trust that side implicitly, that may suffice. Personally, I've never met that particular student or his family, so I can't give him that level of trust.

[Cognitive Gear]

Perhaps it was unreasonable, that is one possibility. Another possibility is that the facts that we don't have would show it to be reasonable. But let's wait for the facts, rather than making judgments based on snap emotional responses to very limited information.

In all fairness, the article linked in the OP makes it sound like the diploma had been fully withheld, and not everyone will click all of the related links.

Thanks for taking the time to post this pertinent information here!

Since the diploma itself was not withheld, this really seems like a non-story. It's really not that big of a deal to leave the stage without it, as long as he still graduates. (Although it may have been embarrassing, I suppose.)

[Htom Sirveaux]

It's not enough Kiss have to overcompensate for lack of musical talent with big, ridiculous, expensive visual effects; now they gotta take kids' diplomas away, too. Jerks.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Yeah! Knights in Service of Satan? More like Knights in Stealing Student's Educational Diplomas!...

KISSED

[Radical Dreamer]

I agree that it's a pretty stupid reason to not be able to walk at graduation, especially given the sometimes outrageous things people get away with once they graduate. But I have to also agree with Kaligraphic when I say that the article is definitely biased toward the student (and almost sounds like it was written by a student..."their natural exuberance has led to some surprisingly serious problems"? Really? XD). The headline itself makes it sound like the diploma was denied altogether, when it was really only walking the stage that was denied. There must have been some reason that caused the principal to deem the situation more serious than just blowing a kiss to a family member.

[Roy Mustang]

I agree that it's a pretty stupid reason to not be able to walk at graduation, especially given the sometimes outrageous things people get away with once they graduate. But I have to also agree with Kaligraphic when I say that the article is definitely biased toward the student (and almost sounds like it was written by a student..."their natural exuberance has led to some surprisingly serious problems"? Really? XD). The headline itself makes it sound like the diploma was denied altogether, when it was really only walking the stage that was denied. There must have been some reason that caused the principal to deem the situation more serious than just blowing a kiss to a family member.

I agree, it does sound silly to be denied in taken part in walking on the stage to get the diploma over a kiss. But the article is very biased toward the student and he still got his diploma. So he wasn't denied in getting his diploma at all, just didn't get it on the stage like everyone else.


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[Peanut]

Yeah! Knights in Service of Satan? More like Knights in Stealing Student's Educational Diplomas!...

KISSED

I think your on to something here Ryan...XD

[Bobtheduck]

I agree, it does sound silly to be denied in taken part in walking on the stage to get the diploma over a kiss. But the article is very biased toward the student and he still got his diploma. So he wasn't denied in getting his diploma at all, just didn't get it on the stage like everyone else.


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Which is still absurd. Not as potentially illegal as denying him is actual diploma, but walking is important to a lot of people, and this remains an absurd reason to deny him that.

If there was another side (I mean, if there was more than blowing a kiss) it wouldn't have been hard for Lukas to say so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy_HmxkBaU0

I very strongly agree with what the dad said. This was a once in a lifetime event that's ruined for him.

[Shao Feng-Li]

Kaligraphic does have a point there. We do only know one side of the story and it's not always fair to assume that the principal is a mean heartless jerk.

[Roy Mustang]

I was just replying to what Radical Dreamer said and I agree with her.


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[Cognitive Gear]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy_HmxkBaU0

I very strongly agree with what the dad said. This was a once in a lifetime event that's ruined for him.

I find that video to be really revealing about this whole thing. It shows exactly what happened on stage, which was more than a blown kiss. As the video comes to a close, a reporter states that "Each student had to sign one of these. It's a form that says they'll behave, wear proper attire and they'll save the celebrating until the end of the ceremony."

What he did was pretty clearly celebrating during the ceremony. I don't necessarily agree with what they are asking of the students, but the superintendent seems to have merely followed though on what the signed form stated.