Georgia school officials have apologized to a student with a disability after barring him from attending his high school graduation.
Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, held its annual graduation ceremony on May 25. But while many families watched the graduates walk across the stage, one mother learned her own daughter would not be attending.
At the ceremony, Linda Ramirez learned that her special needs students would not be able to receive their diplomas with the rest of the class. Instead, they would be walking up to the stage and exiting before the official graduation ceremony began.
“They call on the students with special needs one by one. [to] “They walked across the stage, down the hallway to the left, and out the back of the building,” explains Ramirez, whose daughter, Ashlyn Rose Rich, graduated from People’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). “And by the time they were done, the mainstream kids were starting to graduate and they were getting their diplomas. I was so upset. I was like, ‘What did we come here for?'”
Ramirez added, “Everyone who has a child with a disability got up and went to get their child while the big graduation ceremony went on. So my kids missed out on everything. They didn’t get their turn to wave their tassel, they didn’t get to see the commencement speeches, and there was no mass exit.”
Cobb
County schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale apologized to Ramirez and her daughter following the incident, but maintained the decision was “made in good faith” regardless of the outcome.
“I can’t say much more about the Rich family’s experience at the Sprayberry ceremony, but I can say this,” Ragsdale explained at a board meeting June 13. “First, on behalf of the school district, I apologize to Ashlyn and her family. No matter how well-intentioned the decision may have seemed, it should have been the parent’s decision.”
Rich explained her thoughts about the experience to officials, saying she felt “unfairly treated and discriminated against” for not being able to participate.
“I felt unfairly treated and discriminated against because I couldn’t sit with my classmates. Many of my friends are full-time students, so it was sad not being able to sit with them and experience the graduation ceremony.”
The school district also released a statement on the matter, detailing that it is customary for families of students with IEPs to decide how they want to celebrate graduation.
“Some Cobb families hold full graduation ceremonies, while others limit noise, stimulation and protect their children in a variety of ways. Each child’s needs are discussed individually and confidentially, so the specific needs of students with special needs are addressed.
“This year, we discovered that one student at Sprayberry High School was not offered a choice, even though initial reports indicated that one was offered. Our expectations and those of parents were not fully met.”
Rich and her mother accepted the apology, but a district investigation into the incident is also ongoing.
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