She said a bad word…and now they won’t give her the diploma. Her school is insisting on an apology before giving it to her.
Even if is legal, I think they went way overboard. What say you?
“Kaitlin Nootbaar”? Talk about a last name you’d rather not bear.
Yes, the school has gone ridiculously overboard. I have long found it disgusting the way certain adults in society (in this case, the school authorities) think you can control the thoughts and speech of what is presumably an 18 year old, that is adult individual. The word “hell” used in this context is relatively innocuous and is appropriate to convey an emotional meaning to her language. Said on prime time TV this wouldn’t even warrant a blink.
It’s the school that should write the apology, not the valedictorian.
Way overboard… she should still apologize though
But… but… Kaitlin Nootbaar from Prague is the girl next door!
This would be a great case for the ACLU to step in and make the school sorry they ever said a thing.
For what?
First life lesson for the real world. If you want to tweak the noses of those in positions of authority expect repercussions.
That being said, it was a pretty minor offense. But I am guessing it was an offense of some rule or direction. So some sort of acknowledgement of wrong doing on her part isn’t out of the question. A simple “Sorry 'bout that.” should suffice.
Do they even have the right to withhold her diploma?
Agreed.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Oh, hell no. No apology. Sue their pants off. I very much doubt the school can hold her diploma or transcripts, especially when faced with a legal challenge. There are hundreds of lawyers who would take her case pro bono.
It’s literally just the piece of paper. She still has her degree with honors and will be attending college soon. It may legally be school property until they hand it over. All the school admins are doing is making themselves look like clowns.
I can’t believe the linked news article actually writes H*** instead of Hell. What the heckfire is wrong with these people?
Meant to add: if it was me, I would laugh at them and tell them to keep their lame ass diploma. I found my High School diploma in a file folder a couple of years ago and threw it in the garbage.
I don’t care if she said “Jesus can suck my cock,” they can’t withhold her diploma. Stupid power play by petty bureaucrats.
Yeah, it’s a bit mystifying. I know I gut cut a lot of slack, being who I was in school. It sounds like this girl wasn’t, though. That’s probably just a function of how that school and school system work, though.
OTOH, I grew up in a rural, economically under-performing area of the South, and any student who participated in extracurriculars, got really good grades, achieved honors in school that made the school look good (National Merit Scholar, All-state Band, etc.), and generally cared about school was given a lot of latitude, relatively. IOW, my school couldn’t afford to be picky. If you looked like a potential success, and generally cared/tried, they’d fall all over themselves trying to meet you halfway, relatively. There were exceptions, particularly with the disciplinarians (our vice principals), but generally they were reasonable.
I get the feeling that some school districts can afford to tell high achievers to fuck off. Mine could not.
She should apologize for referencing a Twilight book in the speech.
Wait, “hell” is still considered a swear word in some parts of the US? The fuck?
Ha! I was thinking the same thing.
My next thought: “Hell” is a “naughty word” these days? Really? :rolleyes: I’ve worked in places (professional white collar offices, albeit creative services) where “damn” and sometimes even “fuck” were common parts of the office vernacular. “Hell” doesn’t even ping the radar. Not in the real world, anyway.
As long as they’re not withholding her transcripts I doubt it matters. There’s only one instance in my life where I needed my college diploma, and even that had me raising an eyebrow. I was lucky I’d shoved it in a closet rather than pitching it or losing it in a move. I’ve never needed my HS diploma for anything. (And any job application asking for the name of my HS similarly gets a raised eyebrow… I have a college degree, you can assume I graduated HS, and after so many years of work experience, is it really even relevant anymore?)