High School Valedictorian Denied Diploma Over Graduation Speech

High School Valedictorian Denied Diploma Over Graduation Speech

news.yahoo.com

An Oklahoma high school valedictorian who used the word "hell" in her graduation speech in May has yet to receive her diploma.
Kaitlin Nootbaar graduated from Prague High School with a 4.0 grade point average, her father, David Nootbaar, told KFOR-TV. But school administrators told him that Kaitlin would have to submit a written apology in order to get her diploma.
"We went to the office and asked for the diploma and the principal said, 'Your diploma is right here but you're not getting it....

(visit the link for the full news article)

Is it just me or do we have a huge over population of godamned politically correct control freaks who gravitate to positions of authority in our schools and elsewhere?

This is friggen ridiculous give her the damn diploma already! These idiots need to be taken down a notch big time! 4.0 grade average and they have a problem with her saying hell to the point of withholding her diploma... My God what have we come to with this idiocy.

These are the people teaching your kids folks wake up...

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by hawkiye

This is friggen ridiculous give her the damn diploma already! These idiots need to be taken down a notch big time! 4.0 grade average and they have a problem with her saying hell to the point of withholding her diploma... My God what have we come to with this idiocy.

It definitely is.

I bet none of those self-righteous yahoos - - - ever had a 4.0.

I heard a college offered her a full scholarship - - because of this.

EDIT: did you see the number of comments on that article? 15,517 comments

You know... I have a hard time not giving into the extremes of human predatory instincts when dealing with cases like this.

Perhaps I should rethink having kids - because if this is the type of stuff I have to look forward to as a parent, I'll end up on death row for going on killing sprees targeting school boards. "That kid, there? That's my legacy. You're #ing with it."

Though I would probably just tell my daughter to write the apology - then invite the principal to her inauguration into some office of higher academia or as the CEO of some company, and then give a similar speech involving the use of the word "hell."

That is absurd. I mean seriously.

What is it about our society that makes us feel like we have the right to micromanage everybody but ourselves???
If I were this girls father I'd probably end up jail over the Hell I raised with that schools administration...

~Heff

ETA: And then I'd sue!

Originally posted by hawkiye

Is it just me or do we have a huge over population of godamned politically correct control freaks who gravitate to positions of authority in our schools and elsewhere?

This is friggen ridiculous give her the damn diploma already! These idiots need to be taken down a notch big time! 4.0 grade average and they have a problem with her saying hell to the point of withholding her diploma... My God what have we come to with this idiocy.

These are the people teaching your kids folks wake up...

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

edit on 20-8-2012 by hawkiye because: (no reason given)

There's an old saying (I'm just passing along) that goes "Those who CAN do, do and those that can't..Teach"

Not sure I agree with it but I have seen a few examples

reply to post by Aim64C


Write the paper.. say what ever they want her tooo.. get the diploma in hand.. and then tell the A&^ Wipe to F OFF.. in private so it is his word against hers.. Or sue the school..

She still graduated. All she didn't get was the piece of paper.

Originally posted by rangerdanger
She still graduated. All she didn't get was the piece of paper.

She *earned* that piece of paper. She studied, worked her butt off. Didn't disrespect her teachers like so many kids do these days. To have that piece of paper. she EARNED, withheld for such nonsense, shows the blatant stupidity of those who call themselves teachers.

Des

That principle needs a motivational seminar out behind the woodshed! What an egotistical idiot this guy is withholds the acknowledgement of all her hard work because he did not like a single word in her speech...

Free Speech means saying what liberals find acceptable and nothing else.

If I was this kid's father, they would be surgically removing my fist from his face!!!

Originally posted by hawkiye
That principle needs a motivational seminar out behind the woodshed! What an egotistical idiot this guy is withholds the acknowledgement of all her hard work because he did not like a single word in her speech...

Wait - wait - wait. Let's be real.

She submitted a speech draft. I think most high schools at least - - require this.

In her speech draft she used the word Heck. Then delivered the speech using the word Hell.

Technically she's in violation.

However - - - I do not support these "time warp yahoos" - - - or their choice of disciplinary action.

It was a minor infraction and there just using her as an example for their totalitarian rule.

Originally posted by kozmo
Free Speech means saying what liberals find acceptable and nothing else.

If I was this kid's father, they would be surgically removing my fist from his face!!!

Free Speech means saying what "conservatives" find acceptable and nothing else.

Oh LOOK - - - I can do that too.

Let them keep the damn diploma but sue the school board, principal, and all the administration for defamation of character. Chances are they would settle out of court and she could be driving a brand new mustang off to university.

This is just absurd news. I guarantee at one point she read a book that said hell that was part of school curriculum. I don't care if this was the most uptight religious institution in the world, there is no excuse for not giving her the diploma that she so obviously earned. I am popping a beer and gearing up to write the most foul worded letter of dissent I can come up with to send. Hell hath no fury like a Domo drunk.

Originally posted by Annee

Originally posted by kozmo
Free Speech means saying what liberals find acceptable and nothing else.

If I was this kid's father, they would be surgically removing my fist from his face!!!

Free Speech means saying what "conservatives" find acceptable and nothing else.

Oh LOOK

- - - I can do that too.

I guess if "Conservatives", as you put it, find saying just about anything within reason (Think "Fire" in a crowded theatre kind of reason) and encouraging the free expression of discourse as opposed to oppressing freedom of expression, then your statement is in fact, factual!

I should know... I'm actually a conservative leaning Libertarian. We're all about that' Free Speech' thing.

Are you serious? This is ridiculous! I can't believe an educational institution would do something like this.

Does anyone know if the school is breaking any laws? To me, it seems like they have to be!

Does this school have a list of approved and disapproved words? This makes zero sense, and out of all words.. 'hell' ???

reply to post by kozmo


Nice but I doubt to many challenges have been issuued over yelling fire however if you look at this excellent list of Banned Books you might start to see where the idea that conservatives are against free speech truly originates.

reply to post by kozmo


And I'm a Left Libertarian, we're all about Freedom of Speech as well. I'm not a Liberal but what a ridiculous thing to say... as if a Liberal could survive in the Bible Belt. This is some control freak using Christianity to exert authority, nothing more. I highly suspect you're a Libertarian on paper only, conveniently discarding it when it suits you.

Originally posted by kozmo
Free Speech means saying what liberals find acceptable and nothing else.

If I was this kid's father, they would be surgically removing my fist from his face!!!

You do understand that this occurred in Oklahoma right? The odds of it being a "liberal" behind this case are pretty slim, so could we please keep the partisan trash out of the debate?

The young woman did submit a different draft of her speech than what she presented. However I can't see the school being justified in withholding her diploma. She earned it, and they can't deny that she did. To me it falls under the same category as your employer withholding your last paycheck to give you grief. In both places the first thing you should be doing is contacting a lawyer.