I caught this article in the New York Times this morning about a high school in Illinois that made parents and students sign a contract stating that they would act in a dignified way at the graduation ceremony.  The families and friends of 5 students apparently violated that contract at the grad ceremony and the students were thereby denied receiving a copy of their diploma.

Am I the only one to think this school has the “Suck” cranked to 10?   These guys are really taking it a little far.  Apparently the reason for the contract was a disruption at the ceremony two years ago.  I agree that air horns (I’m not kidding, read the article) are probably not appropriate in the school gym, but really guys it’s a little harsh to force these kids to do 8 hours of communuty service just to get their diplomas now.  For crying out loud, they didn’t spraypaint the rink, or vandalize the cemetary, they graduated high school.  It’s treating them like criminals.  There must be better ways of ensuring that the ceremony isn’t unduly disrupted by anyone without taking it out on the kids.

A choice quote from one of the students:

“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.”

I’m biased as a parent, but I can’t imagine anyone not whooping a little when their kid graduates high school.  Way to really suck the fun out of a monumental moment in a kid’s life, guys.