Student denied diploma for blowing mom a kiss.

[Tyek]

http://www.wmtw.com/education/19766393/detail.html

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.

The only inappropriate behavior displayed on that stage was from the Super-Intendent. This kid put in all those years of work and his reward for blowing a kiss to his mom is to deny him his degree. I hope she gets everything she deserves with this. One way school districts could save money would be to cut about half of the school board members. They make assinine amounts of cash for the work they do. Money that could be spent on actual books, teachers and supplies. They hold ocassional meetings and make dumb ass decisions like this.

[Sueven]

that sounds like a terrible graduation

[masteen]

I wish beach balls and blowing a kiss to mom were all most school boards had to worry about at graduation.

[Boogahz]

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.

They signed the code of conduct. He broke the rules. He waits on diploma. Fairly simple. This would probably be the same type of parent that would let their child spin around screaming in the grocery store just because she felt that not validating his actions with discipline would be "more effective."

[Psyloche]

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.

They signed the code of conduct. He broke the rules. He waits on diploma. Fairly simple. This would probably be the same type of parent that would let their child spin around screaming in the grocery store just because she felt that not validating his actions with discipline would be "more effective."

I think if I could see the guidelines for the code of conduct they signed I might be inclined to take your side Boog, but in all honesty, bowing and blowing a kiss to your mom is anything but inappropriate in my opinion.

I've seen far more disruptive, disrespectful behavior by people at graduation. I know from my High School graduation one guy did the worm across the stage to the Principal (hard to explain, he did it at like ever major High School gathering, always made us laugh for some reason), a few guys were jumping up and down on their way to the principal almost like a WWF Wrestler pumping a crowd. I wouldn't even call those extreme behaviors, just... people celebrating what was a pretty big accomplishment at the time.

I think the administration involved has some massive sticks up their asses.

[Funkmasterr]

I saw a similar article about this on yahoo, and couldn't believe it. I don't give a fuck if there is a code of conduct against blowing your family a kiss, that's absurd.

The article I read had some quote about how the principle or superintendent was saying they had problems with "beach balls and silly string" four years earlier.... If you've got that big of a stick up your ass you shouldn't be allowed to work in that type of position. Ever... Amazing.

[Kaldaur]

Administrators always try to clamp down on graduation behavior, and it always fails. Why? Because the seniors are no longer threatened by whatever means those administrators have. Detention? Summer school? Nothing is effective because the seniors are beyond that point. This is the last way an administrator can maintain control over these students.
These kids spent twelve years in cramped desks, scribbling notes and eating the same shitty food day in and day out. The least they can fucking do is jump across the stage in relief.

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

Administrators always try to clamp down on graduation behavior, and it always fails. Why? Because the seniors are no longer threatened by whatever means those administrators have. Detention? Summer school? Nothing is effective because the seniors are beyond that point. This is the last way an administrator can maintain control over these students.
These kids spent twelve years in cramped desks, scribbling notes and eating the same shitty food day in and day out. The least they can fucking do is jump across the stage in relief.

Before my graduation our administration team told us that if we did any showboating, cursing, or had any type of stage presence while receiving our diploma it would be taken away. On that same note, we had one guy back-flip off the stage after he got his diploma, who then lost his diploma. Our class speaker was told prior to writing his speech that cursing isn't allowed. He also blew that up and completely disobeyed the topic the administrator's told him to speak about. He gave a 10 minute speech about how his dad overcame cancer that year, and had our whole class and observers in tears + standing ovation. He did not receive his diploma until later in the summer.

[Fairweather Pure]

Must be a slow day in the news...

[Lalanae]

Jeez they need to seriously lighten up. It's a graduation, not a presidential inauguration. Who cares if the kids are throwing around beach balls & playing with silly string? We had teachers walking around during my graduation confiscating things like that when they appeared, but they were still pretty good natured about it. Plus, some of the showboating is pretty funny. You can't expect a bunch of 17-18 year olds with that much pent up excitement to not want to act a little silly.
As long as they aren't shooting guns in the air, what's the harm?

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

My impression was always due to the time schedules. I could imagine a graduation taking forever if everyone did a little something after receiving their diploma. Still, to actually follow through with not giving a diploma has always seemed a harsh punishment for the crime.

[Nick]

Well, that certainly is very silly indeed.

Who cares if some guy blows a kiss when he's graduating?

I think the administration involved has some massive sticks up their asses.

[Leonaerd]

The administration is lonely and likes the attention.