Monday, June 03, 2013

Student Loses Fight To Participate in Graduation Ceremony

Obviously I don't condone underage drinking, or drinking at a school activity.  On the other hand, if a school is going to accuse a student of such a major offense--especially when the penalty is failure to participate in graduation exercises--there ought to be some proof besides just a statement of guilt:
A straight-A student at the top of her class has lost her legal battle to walk at her high school graduation after she was barred from the ceremony because she was allegedly drinking alcohol at her prom.

Lauren Green, 18, of McKinney, Texas, filed a lawsuit against the McKinney Independent School District, alleging that school administrators sent her and a group of her friends home from the prom for reportedly drinking before the event...

According to court documents, Green alleges that she was "never addressed individually [by administrators], nor ever afforded an opportunity to take a breathalyzer" at the prom on May 11 to prove that she had not been drinking. 
The court ruled that it couldn't do anything in this case because she hadn't been expelled.
"Obviously if the court doesn't have any jurisdiction over this, who else is going to overlook the McKinney Independent School District when they're shafting a bunch of kids?" Green's attorney, Julie Krenek told ABC News affiliate WFAA-TV...

(School district attorny Mari) McGowan said that despite Green's allegations in the suit that she had not consumed alcohol before attending the prom, Green had previously admitted that she had been drinking. 
This is a fairly strong sanction, there should be some sort of breathylizer or similar evidence.

1 comment:

Ellen K said...

I live near McKinney. At our prom a girl, also an A student, showed up so drunk that she had to be hospitalized. Unfortunately we have a group of upscale, clueless parents who see drinking as part of the Rite of Passage related to prom. As a result we have tragedies related to drunk driving, intoxication deaths and their legacies. Too many parents will rent suites for groups of students assuming they are playing Monopoly. We are still dealing with the aftermath of a student who was killed by a drunk driver. In our case, the A student was sent to alternative school for the remainder of the year and her brother, who drove her there, cannot ever return to a school in my district. Yes, it may seem unfair, but drinking at 18 is illegal and doing so at a school event is illegal. Actions have consequences, which is a shock to students whose parents have cushioned every blow.