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http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/illinois-students-lose-diplomas-over/20070601155509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Illinois Students Lose Diplomas Over Cheers
By JAN DENNIS
AP

GALESBURG, Illinois (June 2) - Caisha Gayles graduated with honors last month, but she is still waiting for her diploma. The reason: the whoops of joy from the audience as she crossed the stage.

Gayles was one of five students denied diplomas from the lone public high school in Galesburg after enthusiastic friends or family members cheered for them during commencement.

About a month before the May 27 ceremony, Galesburg High students and their parents had to sign a contract promising to act in dignified way. Violators were warned they could be denied their diplomas and barred from the after-graduation party.

Many schools across the country ask spectators to hold applause and cheers until the end of graduation. But few of them enforce the policy with what some in Galesburg say are strong-arm tactics.

In Galesburg, the issue has taken on added controversy with accusations that the students were targeted because of their race: four are black and one is Hispanic. Parents say cheers also erupted for white students, and none of them was denied a diploma.

"It was like one of the worst days of my life," said Gayles, who had a 3.4 grade-point average and officially graduated, but does not have the keepsake diploma to hang on her wall. "You walk across the stage and then you can't get your diploma because of other people cheering for you. It was devastating, actually."

School officials in Galesburg, a working-class town of 34,000 that is still reeling from the 2004 shutdown of a 1,600-employee refrigerator factory, said the get-tough policy followed a 2005 commencement where hoots, hollers and even air horns drowned out much of the ceremony and nearly touched off fights in the audience when the unruly were asked to quiet down.

"Lots of parents complained that they could not hear their own child's name called," said Joel Estes, Galesburg's assistant superintendent. "And I think that led us to saying we have to do something about this to restore some dignity and honor to the ceremony so that everyone can appreciate it and enjoy it."

In Indianapolis, public school officials this year started kicking out parents and relatives who cheer. At one school, the superintendent interrupted last month's graduation to order police to remove a woman from the gymnasium.

"It's an important, solemn occasion. There's plenty of time for celebration before and after," said Clarke Campbell, president of the Indianapolis school board.

Principal Tom Chiles said administrators who monitored the more than 2,000-seat auditorium reported only disruptions they considered "significant," and all turned in the same five names.

"Race had absolutely nothing to do with it whatsoever," Chiles said. "It is the amount of disruption at the time of the incident."

School officials said they will hear students and parents out if they appeal. 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.

Gayles' mother said she plans to fight the school board - in court if necessary - to get her daughter's diploma. The noise "was like three seconds. It was like, `Yay,' and that was it," Carolyn Gayles said.

American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Edward Yohnka said Galesburg's policy raises no red flags as long as it is enforced equitably. "It's probably well within the school's ability to control the decorum at an event like this," he said.

Another student who was denied her diploma, Nadia Trent, said she will probably let the school keep it if her appeals fail.

"It's not fair. Somebody could not like me and just decide to yell to get me in trouble. I can't control everyone, just the ones I gave tickets to," Trent said.

Good. I hated the noisy idiots at my graduation.

so let me get this straight. they lost their diplomas because other people cheered?

This is one of the few times in life I enjoy noisy idiots. A bit of cheering and air horns is what makes graduations fun.

Well, you can't have unpopular students feeling sad because they don't have friends to cheer for them.

Who the fuck cares if you can hear your kid's name? Are they on the stage? That means your kid is graduating. Cheer, you stupid fuckers!!

holy shit,thats ridiculous.

there's gonna be a lawsuit so powerful that it'll supersede the signed contract

That's the first thing I thought when I read that of the 5 diploma-less, one is Hispanic and four are black. They could have at least thrown in one token white kid to make it look like it was a coincidence.

who hangs up their high school diploma? as long as they graduated it doesn't seem like a big deal.

its not where near as bad as this, but we didnt get our diplomas unless we still had our caps, it was there way of keeping us from throwing them because the corners could hurt someone

4 words: I am so smrt.

High school principals have MASSIVE egos.

Hey, I was only quoting the article, man. Now excuse me while I get ready for my weekly Sunday afternoon Klan brunch.

oh, that explains everything

America...

I agree. My school told us that graduation day was just as much for your family (esp. parents) as it was for you. It was for them waking you up, making lunches, helping with homework for 12 years. So IMO, parents and family have every right to cheer, scream, and express joy and happiness for the son or daughter who they helped achieve a major life accomplishment if they want to.

And on a different angle, its the parents tax money that paid for the diploma, the seats and the electricity for the event amongst other things.