Aa
OT: Student denied graduation for blowing kiss to his mom!
This is outrageous!
STANDISH, Maine -- Justin Denney's family watched as he ascended the Cumberland County Civic Center stage during graduation Friday night to accept his diploma, but the superintendent told him to return to his seat.
The Bonny Eagle High School senior's mother said she can't believe her son's taking a bow and blowing a kiss on stage led was grounds for the superintendent to withhold his diploma.
Mary Denney wants an apology, and her son wants his diploma, reported WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine.
"I'm like, 'Did she not hand him his diploma?' I'm like, 'What's going on?'" Mary Denney said.
She said she and Justin both signed a code of conduct regarding the graduation when she picked up graduation tickets on Friday, but she doesn't think he violated it.
"There was no misbehavior. Showboating is not misbehavior," Mary Denney said. "A bow, a kiss to your mom is not misbehavior. There was no need of my son not getting his diploma."
WMTW tried to contact the district's superintendent and the school's principal, but neither returned the calls by Monday evening.
Before the school began handing out diplomas, some students pulled out beach balls. One student was forced to sit away from his classmates with staff while police escorted another student behind the stage.
"No arrests were made," Cumberland County Sheriff's Department Deputy Chief Kevin Joyce said. "The individual that was escorted off the stage was asked to leave the civic center. He was to the point where the deputy was starting to get to the point where he wanted to arrest the individual, but gave him several opportunities to settle down. Eventually, he took off his cap and gown and threw it at the deputy and walked out the civic center."
The deputy returned to the crowd and took another beach ball away from the students, but Mary Denney said School Area District 6 Superintendent Suzanne Lukas was still upset.
"When she got up there and started speaking, they threw out a couple more balls and she turned around and said, 'More people may not be graduating today if this continues,'" Mary Denney said.
While in his seat or waiting in line for his diploma, Justin Denney never touched a beach ball, his mother said. After his name was called, he took a bow, blew a kiss to his family and pointed to friends, but he didn't get his diploma, leaving a whole family in disbelief.
"I said, 'What did she ask you?' And, he goes, 'She said, 'There's no fooling around up here,' and he just kind of looked at her because he wasn't fooling around," Mary Denney said. "He didn't consider that fooling around or misbehaving in any sense of the word, and she goes, 'Why do you feel you deserve your diploma?' He goes, 'Because I worked hard and I earned it,' and she goes, 'No, go take your seat.'"
The crowd booed, but Justin Denney still doesn't have his diploma. Now, his mother wants her son to get what he's worked so hard for.
"It was appalling, and I want justice for my son. I want her to apologize to my son and I want her to hand him his diploma while he is in his cap and gown," Mary Denney said.
Both of Justin Denney's grandparents are ill and one of their wishes was to see their grandson graduate from high school, Mary Denney said.
Mary Denney said she is planning a graduation party for her son in two weeks, which, by then, she said she hopes she will have a photograph of her son with his diploma.
STANDISH, Maine -- Justin Denney's family watched as he ascended the Cumberland County Civic Center stage during graduation Friday night to accept his diploma, but the superintendent told him to return to his seat.
The Bonny Eagle High School senior's mother said she can't believe her son's taking a bow and blowing a kiss on stage led was grounds for the superintendent to withhold his diploma.
Mary Denney wants an apology, and her son wants his diploma, reported WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine.
"I'm like, 'Did she not hand him his diploma?' I'm like, 'What's going on?'" Mary Denney said.
She said she and Justin both signed a code of conduct regarding the graduation when she picked up graduation tickets on Friday, but she doesn't think he violated it.
"There was no misbehavior. Showboating is not misbehavior," Mary Denney said. "A bow, a kiss to your mom is not misbehavior. There was no need of my son not getting his diploma."
WMTW tried to contact the district's superintendent and the school's principal, but neither returned the calls by Monday evening.
Before the school began handing out diplomas, some students pulled out beach balls. One student was forced to sit away from his classmates with staff while police escorted another student behind the stage.
"No arrests were made," Cumberland County Sheriff's Department Deputy Chief Kevin Joyce said. "The individual that was escorted off the stage was asked to leave the civic center. He was to the point where the deputy was starting to get to the point where he wanted to arrest the individual, but gave him several opportunities to settle down. Eventually, he took off his cap and gown and threw it at the deputy and walked out the civic center."
The deputy returned to the crowd and took another beach ball away from the students, but Mary Denney said School Area District 6 Superintendent Suzanne Lukas was still upset.
"When she got up there and started speaking, they threw out a couple more balls and she turned around and said, 'More people may not be graduating today if this continues,'" Mary Denney said.
While in his seat or waiting in line for his diploma, Justin Denney never touched a beach ball, his mother said. After his name was called, he took a bow, blew a kiss to his family and pointed to friends, but he didn't get his diploma, leaving a whole family in disbelief.
"I said, 'What did she ask you?' And, he goes, 'She said, 'There's no fooling around up here,' and he just kind of looked at her because he wasn't fooling around," Mary Denney said. "He didn't consider that fooling around or misbehaving in any sense of the word, and she goes, 'Why do you feel you deserve your diploma?' He goes, 'Because I worked hard and I earned it,' and she goes, 'No, go take your seat.'"
The crowd booed, but Justin Denney still doesn't have his diploma. Now, his mother wants her son to get what he's worked so hard for.
"It was appalling, and I want justice for my son. I want her to apologize to my son and I want her to hand him his diploma while he is in his cap and gown," Mary Denney said.
Both of Justin Denney's grandparents are ill and one of their wishes was to see their grandson graduate from high school, Mary Denney said.
Mary Denney said she is planning a graduation party for her son in two weeks, which, by then, she said she hopes she will have a photograph of her son with his diploma.
They did something nice with my son's graduation. When they first walked in to take their seats, each graduate had one rose and walked over to their mom and handed them the rose and gave them a hug, then went and sat down. As each graduate walked in one at a time, they also showed their baby photos on the overhead screen. It was real nice. Of course, his class was rather small. I imagine this wouldn't work with a very large class as it would take too long. But I didn't expect the rose and hug and teared up when he did that. He just looked so grown up. Sigh.
i would have been p!ssed if i were his mother and him!!! that is awful with holding his diploma for blowing his momma a kiss! i waved to my mom while i was walking off stage when i got my diploma....i still got it. such bs!
That is insane! That must be one up-tight principal!
I believe that denying the student his diploma he rightfully earned for just bowing and blowing a kiss to his family is crazy. That shouldn't be allowed and that is, in my opinion, a strong denial of our constitutional rights. What is this world coming too. :(
Who is not on a power trip these days. Good thing Im not mom!
Maybe they should watch a video of our United States elite, the best of the best, our Air Force, Army, and Navy cadets graduating. They throw their caps up in the air, jump on each other, etc. after they announce them new officers in the military and the fly over jets go over them. Hmmm...
That's absolutely ridiculous. This is how crazy people have gotten.
We had a situation here a few years ago where some seniors pulled a senior prank by buying a bunch of bouncy balls and pouring them down the stairs at their school and they threatened to not let them graduate. I thought that was ridiculous but this is much worse! Crazy!
When my son was a senior, the principal allowed the kids to have a senior prank day as long as they didn't do any damage to anything. Come on, let kids be kids!
I see absolutely nothing wrong with blowing a kiss to your family. Are we to be robots now?
We had a situation here a few years ago where some seniors pulled a senior prank by buying a bunch of bouncy balls and pouring them down the stairs at their school and they threatened to not let them graduate. I thought that was ridiculous but this is much worse! Crazy!
When my son was a senior, the principal allowed the kids to have a senior prank day as long as they didn't do any damage to anything. Come on, let kids be kids!
I see absolutely nothing wrong with blowing a kiss to your family. Are we to be robots now?
OMG cant believe it .. what a horrible story one can only think that this Suzzanne lukas woman has a big problem....
WOW! That's outrageous!
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