Lancet Jades
05-26-2004, 09:04 PM
Family Kicked Out of Graduation for Cheering
GRANDVIEW, Mo. -- Imagine cops throwing you out of your own child's graduation just for expressing your joy.
It happened Monday night to several families at a local ceremony, and it was all caught on tape.
KCTV5's Liana Joyce reported live on "KCTV5 News at 6 p.m." that there was a dress code and a behavior code that was strictly followed at the Grandview High School graduation.
One family who got kicked out for cheering their son's accomplishments said it was being taken too far.
It all began when 18-year-old Brandon Sample's family clapped and whistled as the Grandview grad walked across the stage.
It may have seemed harmless, but it was enough to get them tossed out of the ceremony.
On home video, a police officer said, "You've got to leave."
A woman said, "This is a celebration, sir."
The police officer said: "I know. The school didn't want you, them doing that. You don't leave, you go to jail. You understand that?"
It was all over this short burst of celebration.
"We were proud. It was one those where it was like the proudest moment in your life, and so we cheered. It was just a cheer, and then we were quiet," said Joy Sample.
That was when the officer approached, asking the teen's mother, father, aunts, and even his 86-year-old grandmother to leave.
They couldn't believe it.
The Grandview School District defended the policy, saying the crowd was getting too disruptive, and they had to keep things under control. Some parents agreed.
"A lot of the kids we didn't even hear their names, the next names called. This has been an ongoing problem for Grandview, and it progressively gets worse," said Mary Swift, a graduate's aunt.
What about the graduate whose family was kicked out? Brandon Sample insisted his parents weren't out of line.
"My parents have backed me up for 13 years, and I think they deserve at least five or six seconds of cheering for me," he said.
Brandon's parents admitted there were warnings against making too much noise. There was even a warning on the program, but his mother said things were taken just too far.
GRANDVIEW, Mo. -- Imagine cops throwing you out of your own child's graduation just for expressing your joy.
It happened Monday night to several families at a local ceremony, and it was all caught on tape.
KCTV5's Liana Joyce reported live on "KCTV5 News at 6 p.m." that there was a dress code and a behavior code that was strictly followed at the Grandview High School graduation.
One family who got kicked out for cheering their son's accomplishments said it was being taken too far.
It all began when 18-year-old Brandon Sample's family clapped and whistled as the Grandview grad walked across the stage.
It may have seemed harmless, but it was enough to get them tossed out of the ceremony.
On home video, a police officer said, "You've got to leave."
A woman said, "This is a celebration, sir."
The police officer said: "I know. The school didn't want you, them doing that. You don't leave, you go to jail. You understand that?"
It was all over this short burst of celebration.
"We were proud. It was one those where it was like the proudest moment in your life, and so we cheered. It was just a cheer, and then we were quiet," said Joy Sample.
That was when the officer approached, asking the teen's mother, father, aunts, and even his 86-year-old grandmother to leave.
They couldn't believe it.
The Grandview School District defended the policy, saying the crowd was getting too disruptive, and they had to keep things under control. Some parents agreed.
"A lot of the kids we didn't even hear their names, the next names called. This has been an ongoing problem for Grandview, and it progressively gets worse," said Mary Swift, a graduate's aunt.
What about the graduate whose family was kicked out? Brandon Sample insisted his parents weren't out of line.
"My parents have backed me up for 13 years, and I think they deserve at least five or six seconds of cheering for me," he said.
Brandon's parents admitted there were warnings against making too much noise. There was even a warning on the program, but his mother said things were taken just too far.