NAACP announces grad ceremony for suspended students

Published 11:31 am Friday, May 24, 2019

The Limestone County NAACP has announced it will host a special graduation ceremony tonight for the Athens High School seniors who were banned from their school’s ceremony.

The ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Fresh Wind Christian Fellowship, 17200 Lucas Ferry Road, Athens. In a statement, Limestone NAACP President Wilbert Woodruff said the organization congratulates the entire Class of 2019 but is appalled by the decision not to allow two Athens High students to participate in the school’s graduation exercise Thursday.

The two students were banned from their senior prom and graduation ceremony after an incident in class April 9 led to an extended suspension. A scheduled discussion April 10 between parents and Athens High interim principal Rick Carter about the incident ended in a physical altercation between one parent, multiple students and Athens Police officers.

For two seniors, the altercation meant their suspensions were reinstated and they were again banned from prom and graduation.

At an April 11 protest on the Square in Athens, Woodruff said the NAACP would investigate the altercation to see if the students were victimized. In the statement, he said the investigation showed they were.

“Students were not only victimized physically and emotionally that day, our school system chose to continue to double down and deny these same students the right to participate in prom and (Thursday)’s graduation,” Woodruff said. “We have remained silent … due to threats of other students being denied the right to participate in (Thursday)’s graduation.”

Woodruff said the NAACP worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Athens City Schools and Athens Police Department during the investigation. SPLC filed a lawsuit this week on behalf of the students to try and reinstate their graduation privilege.

When that failed and the students were still kept from participating, the NAACP announced it would host its own graduation ceremony.

“We are encouraging our community and others to come and show love and support for our students …,” Woodruff said.

He said the organization would “shine a light” in the coming days on “those who have chosen to hurt students rather than help.”