Do you all agree with the decision of an Illinois pricipal to deny students their diplomas because their families made too much noise during the ceremony?
Their familes signed contracts saying that they would not disrupt the ceremony by cheering too loudly but I personally don't think it's fair but that's just my opinion. The students themselves did nothing wrong. They worked hard to earn those and some jobs these days require you to show your diploma to them.

Ill. students lose diplomas over cheers - Yahoo! News

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"Let me watch my children grow to see what they become
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What are you teaching youngsters if you don't enforce rules, laws and regulations? They all signed a contract to act in a dignified manner ,they blew it, they lose. And for needing it for employers, not in any city I've applied for jobs in.

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As a parent who just had two kids graduate this year . I'm aware of the " No Applause" until after all the diploma are handed out. I think it is stupid to ask the parents not to applause It is one of the most proudest moments of a parents life ..Our school graduation --50 percent of the kids received short clapping from their families 3 secs tops. We had a huge class(500 Students) I thought the ceremony would last atleast 3 hours It only lasted 90 minutes.I think the school needs to take the time out instead of trying to rush it. !!

Shouldn't the parents been doing the following!!! They did the crime not the student!!
Meanwhile, the school said the five students can still get their diplomas by completing eight hours of public service work, answering phones, sorting books or doing other chores for the district, situated about 150 miles southwest of Chicago.

If someone didn't get to hear their childs name being call.... they should also put the blame on the principal. He or she could of paused until the clapping had stop and called out the next name!! I believe some these kids stories ....The noise "was like three seconds. It was like, `Yay,' and that was it," There were many yays at my children graduation also.

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I agree with you! The kids that are graduating cannot be held responsible for the actions of their families. What the schools applied here are Mafia tactics!
Our DD graduated this year, and to be honest, we had a hard time hearing her name. That's ok, we knew she is graduating and everybody was hooting and hollering for their grad! It was a party atmosphere and everybody had a good time. Isn't a graduation supposed to be a celebration?

I agree with both.

If you make it a rule and you sign a contract the rule needs to be inforced.

But that is a stupid rule. I still have 10 years before my oldest graduates but I remember my graduation. It was the proudest moment of my life (at the time). Seeing my family and hearing them chear for me was AMAZING. I felt like I really did it. Taking that feeling away from the student and parent doesn't make any since to me.

I voted it wasn't fair because that rule isn't fair. Most families keep it short and its a great moment for the student to hear their families cheer after their name is called.

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I agree with you to a point but it wasn't the students fault that their families broke the rule. The students themselves did nothing wrong. Now if they had gotten up on stage and started whooting and hollering as they walked across then yes I could agree but they didn't. They should not be punished for their families actions. As far as showing your diploma I have had to use it several times for potential employers. It just depends on the company's regulations I guess.

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"Let me watch my children grow to see what they become
Lord don't let that cold wind blow til I'm too old to die young'

Okay, I graduated 9 years ago and we had the same policy at our graduation. One of my fellow class mates had a few friends, that graduated from another school in the same building (there were 7 high schools in my town) with the time slot before ours and lingered around to see their friend graduate. They did not have the same strict rules at their ceremony and so began yelling and clapping for their friend.
He was going to have to follow the rules of the contract or risk not getting his diploma. Well, he was to begin college within like two weeks and so his parents fought and won the case with the school board.
We were also given 10 tickets each so only ten family members could attend unless you could finagle tickets from someone with a smaller family. You had to sign a contract that if you're guests made excessive noise you would not get your diploma until you attended summer school to receive a good conduct credit. (Yes the school system actually made you have a good conduct credit!) Now, that being said anyone could have yelled out for a student at any given time even if it was not the student they were there to support and how would they have known who actualy gave them the tickets. It is hard to enforce something like this as anyone could have picked out a name at random to yell for.
They kept telling us that we would be so glad we had such a formal ceremony, and that later we would thank them for making us do it this way. Needless to say to this day I still wish it had been a lot more relaxed and less formal. We had to wear white dresses with hose and white shoes (no sandals) and the guys had to wear khaki pants with a white shirt, dress shoes and tie. ( Yes this was a public school!)
While I think rules should be enforced I will say I think it ridiculous to enforce ridiculous rules. I agree that the principal or who ever was calling names should have paused if applause and yelling broke out. So what if the ceremony lasts a longer time than they think is necessary. This is something you work for for 13 years. Those kids and their families deserved to enjoy the moment of their success as does any graduate.

my sis-in-law's graduation was just a couple weeks ago and there were either cops or guys dressed as such there! Wasn't a seat to be had so we ended up leaving early. Anyway, they had the quiet rule too, and said they'd escort you out if you weren't!

My graduation, 13 or so years ago, did not have such a rule and people even used air horns!

I think it's pure bs! Why not celebrate when students graduate? It should be time to applaud them for their accomplishments. What a miserable world this is turning into...

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Exactly.

And what if someone doesn't like one of the graduates and yells out in order to deliberately get them in trouble?

How can you penalize the graduates for something "they" didn't do

When our dd graduated,The prionciple did this same crap and it sucks. Every parent was very proud of their children for graudating and wasnt allowed to clap or anything. There was a few who did and got escorted out and a few who did and DIDNT get escorted out. They had hired off duty cops and they were the ones taking some folks out. I dont agree with it at all. I think its stupid.

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I think this whole contract thing is a crock. I remember my graduation in 91, and it was one of those moments I'll cherish for years to come. If they had limited applause it would have taken some of the shine from the moment. Plus, as a parent, I can't imagine signing something that limits my response to another one of the proudest times. They'll be lucky if I don't whip out the beach balls and air horns at Fletcher's graduation.

I agree with the two previous - what a bunch of bull. Geesh, the kids live for this moment and their parents do too. Nothing like stealing the thunder. Geesh, why can't the administration just relax and enjoy it?? One of my close high school friends wore nada, zip under her cap and gown...those were the days!

cj/

Exactly...could not have said it better myself!

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I had no idea that a rule like this exists!

Wow!

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It exists here, and it is pathetic, as far as I am concerned. There is just NO REASON to do this to the children, or the parents, at such a joyous celebration.

It really sucks to sit there on your hands and be quiet, just to hear the next family hoop for their kid. I think ALL families should have the ability to hoop and hollar if they want..it only lasts a few secs at best and is hurting NO ONE.

But the fact of the matter is, we have gotten so caught up in not wanting to hurt anyone, that they are afraid of hoiw the person that won't get clapped or hollared for would feel. I understand this, but you know.. life is NOT fair, and there have been many times no one has even recognized a job that I had done that was done well. I have seen cowrkers get awards for service that was far less than something I did or what someone else had done that did not get recognized. It is called life, and that is what makes us work harder and play smarter (I guess). If everything was fair, then why would anyone try?


But I do agree that everyone should be clapped for, and when the rules are broken and families start clapping for their loved one, I usually leave with sore hands because I will then try to clap for everyone!

They said that they did it because a few years ago they almost had fights in the stands between the guests because parents could not hear their children's names being called. I think that maybe the school was between a rock and a hard place. They had to do something so that would not happen again. I think that air horns are going too far at something like this. It would drown out a few names. I would not be happy if I was not able to hear my child's name because of another person. Funny thing is my son graduated 2 years ago and I don't remember if they asked us to wait until the end to clap or not. I think the memory is the first to go once you hit 40. LOL

How stupid. They're punishing the graduates for someone else's behavior. That's like giving me a ticket because the guy next to me was speeding. Insane!

I think it is utterly stupid! Maybe they can impose the NFL rule for "excessive celebration", but mere clapping and a little hootin and hollerin when your child graduates would be hard to hold back.

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#3 Gone To Race In A Better Place...

That is so crazy. My opinion, I wouldn't have signed it in the first place, I'm going to scream, applause and who knows what else when my daughter graduates, that is so crazy. A kids goes threw school most of there like and people should be able to show how proud that are of them on that day, not be so prim and proper. That is so crazy. What dumb rules.

I'm assuming they had the same policy as my kids school did. You had to sign a paper that contain information on the senior dress code, rehearsal time & stated no clapping until after the cermony has ended. If this paper was not turn in by a certain date your child could not march

So in my opinion these parents had no choice but to sign the "paper" contract if they wanted their child to wear the cap & gown they bought them and be part of the cermony. This was never revealed to us until 2 weeks before Grad Night. I'm sure they had more notice then we did but...... What parent will deny their child their own graduation cermony?

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Video of one of the students graduating You can hear her family cheering in the background..After hearing their cheers you can tell it was kept very short Why other cheering families got away with it is beyond me.

CNN.com Video

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Students receive denied diplomas


GALESBURG, Ill. (AP) - School officials in Galesburg, Illinois, are showing some flexibility with a get-tough graduation decorum policy.

They now say five students will get the diplomas they were denied when cheers erupted for them at their graduation.

Galesburg High School officials had said they would not hand over the keepsake diplomas unless they received apologies. They now say the stalemate over the diplomas and the media attention it attracted have taken valuable time and energy.

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I figured that would happen.

GOOD!

I wonder if they plan to revise the contract?

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If they'd of had this stupid rule when I graduated, I would've skipped the ceremony and had them mail me my diploma. What if the kid before me had a rowdy family that still hadn't settled down? Would I have just been grouped in? I think it's a stupid rule and the students shouldn't have to pay for their families' reactions.

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I'm glad the school finally gave in and gave them their diplomas. Around here people use airhorns at out graduations and you can hardly hear anything but that doesn't bother me. I feel that they deserve the celebration. They've worked hard and earned it.

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"Let me watch my children grow to see what they become
Lord don't let that cold wind blow til I'm too old to die young'

I recently heard a college graduate telling a friend that when she and the other graduates all stood up they ALL pushed their chairs over backward and threw up their hats!!
She said " they didn't like it ,but we earned it"

WHAT? You earned an education, not the right to act childish!

It certainly doesn't show much maturity.