Less than two weeks after five Galesburg (Ill.) High School students were denied diplomas because relatives and friends cheered during the graduation ceremony, school officials have reversed their decision. The decision came on the same day an attorney for three of the families threatened to sue the school board if the diplomas were not given to the students. District officials also say they were influenced by the Illinois State Board of Education's statement that it could not support the punishment because the students didn't do anything wrong.
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EARLIER: When whoops, cowbells and air horns drowned out the roll call of graduates two years ago, officials at Galesburg (Ill.) High School decided to stop rowdy graduation ceremonies. They made students and parents sign a contract promising they would remain silent or the students wouldn't receive their diplomas. But the policy has ignited a controversy about whether graduates should be held responsible for zealous family members and whether enforcing the rules is more about race than etiquette. Five seniors, four of them black and one Latino, graduated last month but didn't receive their diplomas because family and friends cheered when their names were announced. The parents and students said they were unfairly targeted because of their race. School officials say race was not a factor.
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