Too far? Arresting a mom for bad behavior at high school graduation
UPDATE: Closed comments on this post after 300 remarks. (And about 200 more that I either blocked or took down.)
I have been surprised at the amount of manic cheering at the high school graduations that I’ve attended. In some cases, exuberant family members scream so loudly for their graduates that they drown at the names of the next students.
But this seems to go a bit far: Arresting a South Carolina mom for yelling too loudly at her daughter’s ceremony?
When I read these stories, I wonder if high school graduations are following the path of children’s sporting events where vociferous parents have been told to tone it down or leave the field.
But I understand the frustration of parents when their child’s name is lost to the applause and cheers for the prior graduate. I attended one ceremony where the procession of graduates had to be halted until the cheering relatives calmed down.
According to the New York Daily News:
Beach balls and bullhorns are commonly banned from graduation ceremonies, but some schools also want to silence the screaming — going so far as to have overzealous audience members arrested.
That’s what reportedly happened to South Carolina mom Shannon Cooper, who was accused of whooping so loudly during her daughter’s high school graduation Saturday night that cops charged her with disorderly conduct and placed her in a detention center.
“Are ya’ll serious? Are ya’ll for real? I mean, that’s what I’m thinking in my mind,” Cooper told WPDE NewsChannel 15 in Myrtle Beach. “I didn’t say anything. I was just like OK, I can’t fight the law. “
Cooper said she didn’t act any differently than other families when their children’s names were called during the South Florence High School ceremony. Her daughter, Iesha, told WPDE she didn’t realize her mother was being arrested until her friends told her.
“They’re locking your momma up for cheering — and I was like that isn’t right because other people was cheering and they didn’t lock them up,” Iesha told the TV station.
Police reportedly warned parents that screaming would result in expulsion from the Florence Civic Center. Those who became disorderly as they were shown the exit were also arrested, officials said. That allegedly included Cooper, who was placed in a police van and then taken to a detention center. She was there for several hours before posting a $225 bond, according to WPDE.
“Yesterday can’t be replaced… My mama went to jail on my graduation day,” Iesha Cooper, 18, told the station.
It wasn’t jail but community service that student Anthony Cornist was reportedly handed after his graduation from Mt. Healthy Junior/Senior High School in Ohio. His family and supporters gave him such a rowdy reception that school officials denied him his diploma and told him he will have to perform 20 hours of community service before he can graduate, according to ABC 9 in Cincinnati.
“I will be holding your diploma in the main office due to the excessive cheering your guests displayed during the roll call,” principal Marlon Styles Jr. wrote to Cornist in a letter obtained by ABC 9. While the school didn’t respond to requests for comment, the senior said Monday he personally “did nothing wrong.”
The school is allowing Cornist to split the community service with his family, but his mother told ABC 9 the punishment is “ludicrous” and none of them would be doing it.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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297 comments Add your comment
woodrow
June 6th, 2012
7:40 am
Last graduation I attended, the crowd was told not to cheer till the ceremony was over. I thought that was weird but now I understand why.
Logic
June 6th, 2012
7:42 am
High school graduations are out of hand. Have you noticed that the parents of honor graduates are NOT the ones screaming? I am glad she was arrested. Typically the parents of the kids that will probably never make it beyond high school are screaming the most. Why is graduation from high school such a big deal. All of the screaming merely prevents the next students name from being heard.
James
June 6th, 2012
7:43 am
Parents are always warned about loud cheering; unfortunately, they rarely pay attention.
WHOZ53
June 6th, 2012
7:47 am
Everybody gets their 5 minutes of fame, this was that momemnt. SHAME on the mom for doing that!
Aquagirl
June 6th, 2012
7:49 am
Actually, she was asked to leave because of her noise. She was arrested when whe got rowdy with officials.
Thank you. That bears repeating AGAIN because of the crappy tabloid reporter (not Maureen) who originally wrote the story. IMHO it was a poor choice for her quick cut ‘n paste though.
Some of this alleged reporters’ other crap: “Octomom Goes Glam in Adult Photo Shoot,” “Man’s Death During Threesome Nets $ 3 Million at Trial,” and “Pregnant Mom Leaves Baby In Car While She Gets a Tattoo.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/authors?author=Erik+Ortiz&page=2
Yeah, great informative reporting, this guy isn’t trolling for shock value AT ALL. And look at the cries of police brutality from gullible readers. READ AND USE YOUR COMMON SENSE, PEOPLE. They used to teach that in school.
email profiling is wrong
June 6th, 2012
7:52 am
Been to many a high school graduation in Atlanta.
Without exception, an announcement is made for family members to withhold cheering and applause until all the graduates have received their diplomas.
Without exception, the reason given is so that all proud friends and relatives can hear their graduate’s name called.
Without exception, there was a loutish segment among the family members who didn’t give a damn. They cheered loud and long and drowned out the names called after their graduate.
No doubt, these same folks would have started a rumble if somebody was equally discourteous when their kid’s name was called. That is if they could put their cell phones away long enough to take a poke at the culprit.
Daily life in Atlanta. We all take the good with the bad.
Koolaid House
June 6th, 2012
7:57 am
My child graduated two weeks ago, and although the Principal asked everyone to hold their applause and yells until all graduates names have been read, not one parent did that. The screaming wasn’t as bad as the graduation I attended last year, but OM Gosh, get a grip.
I was surprised to receive a text from my child saying “Cheer for me when my name is called.” HUH, how the heck did you have your cellphone up on stage? She had no purse, no pocket, where did she put it. Anyway, the text wasn’t necessary because we cheered, however, not loud, just amongst ourselves. No way would I let my cheer reach her ears on stage, that’s just RUDE and much too loud!
Repulsed
June 6th, 2012
7:59 am
Yes, I was raised in another part of the country, but this sort of behavior strikes me as (1) incredibly selfish and (2) inadvertently self-denigrating. I witness such behavior at my university’s graduation ceremonies as well. Firstly, such behavior is obviously selfish because this mother and those like her are thinking only of themselves with no regard to the families of the other graduates. Secondly, why should graduating from high school, in particular, be the occasion for so much celebration? Was this mother really that surprised that her child had managed to earn a high school diploma? In my part of the country, this was pretty much the expected thing — of, course you will graduate from high school. It was the expected and standard thing — not some earth-shaking miracle.
RG
June 6th, 2012
8:00 am
A friend of mine said it best: “The loudest cheers at the ceremony will be for the ones who know that their education is over.”
HERE COMES THE JUDGE
June 6th, 2012
8:02 am
SOLUTION…I’ve observed one…and it works. I attended a HS graduation in the upper mid-west where I was stationed at an Air Force base with a friend whose son was graudating. The names of graduating students were not called for the rather large class…each student was spaced enough to allow each other to shake the hand of the presenter, briefly turn towards the audience and wave, smile, thumbs up or some other gesture that took 1 or 2 seconds. So there was constant cheering throughout the entire diploma presentation ceremony. This precluded the calling of names so no one’s name would not be heard…a great idea from the schools’s administration. Some (or all) should adopt this simple way of conducting a graduation ceremony. By the way, the Valedictorian and Salutorian were the first to receive their diplomas so the families and the audience could cheer as much as they wanted…SIMPLE? I THINK SO!!!
BG
June 6th, 2012
8:03 am
People from the time the person you came to the graduation to see walks in and sit down, you peg where that person is and you know when that person comes and recieves their diploma. I dont care how loud the crowd before is yelling you hear that persons name you came to see. I have been to numerous of graduations and that has never stopped me or any of the parents around me from hearing their child or the student they came to see name from being called. So this is not valid in my book, being that I have first hand experience on more than one occassion in my book. We have become an ultra=sensitive world and not ultra-sensitive about the right moral things. We focus so much on BS that we have become BS..locking someone up at a graduation(who this might have been the first to graduate in their family or the struggle it took to get there) is crazy in my book. We have enough killers, robbers in the world that police could spend their time a lil better in doing their REAL JOB and catching real criminals. Locking a parent up for being excited and happy that their child graduated is DUMB!!..AND YOU PPL WHO AGREE WITH IT ARE JUST AS DUMB AND MISUSE THE LAW to fit your standards..but when it turns watch how yall cry..lol..smh..I have seen so many times in my line of work.
tyra hawkns
June 6th, 2012
8:08 am
What a waste of tax payer money.
EducationFirst
June 6th, 2012
8:09 am
It concerns me people are missing the point here. Should the lady have been removed from the venue for breaking the preadvertised rule? YES. Should she have been arrested? YES, IF she was indeed disorderly when she was escorted out, but no if she went quietly. However, the point is THE OTHER KIDS! Just like Ms. Cooper’s daughter, some of these children may never advance their education beyond this point. It is unfortunate, but this may be their “15 minutes” of fame and the only time their name may be called out for such an achievement. They deserve to have their name heard just like everyone else.
With graduating classes in the 400-600 range, it is not reasonable for the roll call to be slowed to accommodate everyone wanting to cheer their child. Show them the love at home and respect everyone else during the ceremony. Is that so difficult?
email profiling is wrong
June 6th, 2012
8:10 am
@BG,
Agree that cheering at an inappropriate time is not a criminal offense. But have we set the bar so low as a society that we can’t expect an assemblage of civilized human beings to conduct themselves in a courteous manner – for a freaking hour?
There’s no excuse for this crude and selfish behavior. Well, yeah there is – it’s poor home-training.
Jai
June 6th, 2012
8:14 am
They were right to arrest her. I hate attending graduations because ignorant family members scream too loud. It’s frustrating and stupid. I just hope that the next graduation I attend is staffed by police who are willing to do the exact same thing! When you are directed to hold your applause UNTIL ALL NAMES ARE CALLED…do it!
Tenured Teacher
June 6th, 2012
8:24 am
Loud cheering is a serious matter and cannot be tolerated. I personally have sensitive ears and don’t care to hear it. I also heard the lady in question was drunk at the time.
psdad
June 6th, 2012
8:24 am
I am amazed at the celebration of graduating from high school. Is it really an accomplishment?! Congrats you are now certified to flip burgers for minimum wage – if you are lucky to find a job at all!
Courtney
June 6th, 2012
8:29 am
Glad she was arrested. Hopefully she will get a long sentence. I am sick of the boorish behavior.
urban redneck
June 6th, 2012
8:30 am
almost all public high school graduations are like this. mine was like that fifteen years ago, and society has done plenty of crumbling since then. loud people are annoying during this type of ceremony, but you can’t blame parents for being excited. this woman was glad to finally be able to kick her daughter out of the house!! good for her. they could have just asked her to leave instead of arresting her.
urban redneck
June 6th, 2012
8:33 am
wow, when did the south get so racist?
Getaway
June 6th, 2012
8:36 am
I didn’t hear my son’s name called at graduation last year, but that was not surprising. I didn’t hear his name called at the awards ceremony the week before. I didn’t hear most of his guitar solo in the spring concert.
After the kid before him fat-fingered his way through 2 torturous minutes of off-key dissonance, I had to wait through a minute of standing ovation from his too well represented family to hear much of my son’s performance. This despite the conductor repeatedly and politely imploring the audience to refrain from applause until each arrangement was over. There was even an elegantly worded treatise on the proper etiquette at such an event. It was just wasted on those Neanderthals.
NotYou
June 6th, 2012
8:39 am
@bootney – after reading your comments, I can see why you feel the way you do. Sad.
Mama Knows Best
June 6th, 2012
8:41 am
Real simple. If there should be no clapping or emotion shown (outlandish or otherwise), do not allow or better yet encourage clapping for the school administration and invited guests. They are already accomplished and shouldn’t require adoration in order to perform their duties particularly if students (and families) on their day are denied the opportunity of celebration.
In short, if there should be silence for the students, then there should be silence for the administration, period.
DB
June 6th, 2012
8:45 am
I’ve been to a few public high school graduations, and have sworn I will never go to another one — the degree of selfishness and inconsiderate behavior exhibited by the attendees is stunning. One I went to at a school about 45 min from Atlanta was like going to a NASCAR race, the people around us talked through the entire ceremony. The people in front of us brought a huge group of balloons that caused us to have to ask them to move to the back row, so it wouldn’t block the view for dozens of people. They told us to “f**k off, lady, I’ll sit where I want.” Kids stomped up and down the the noisy stadium steps throughout, and during the Pledge of Allegiance, most people didn’t stop chattering, much less stand up respectfully. Never mind hearing the graduates’ names — that wasn’t going to happen. Another group had the balls to tell everyone around them — “Now, ‘hush, y’all, my kid’s next!” and started screaming like damn banshees. Then parents would watch their kid walk — and THEY would walk! Never mind staying around for the end of the ceremony, their kid got theirs, they were OUT of there! The degree of rudeness and classlessness was stunning.
I far preferred my kids (private) school ceremony. There’ s no screaming, jumping up and down, etc. Instead, As each graduate is called across the stage, the parents and family of that graduate are invited to rise, thus recognizing them, and also giving them a good view
There is NO applause for each graduate — all the applause is held for the end. A very nice, respectful and peaceful ceremony.
My husband received his Ph.D recently, and we noticed a distinct correlation between the rowdiness of the families (screaming their name, in case we hadn’t heard it properly, waving signs, etc. in a small theatre) and the height and sparkle of the shoes of the graduate.
One woman wore bright pink platform heels with diamond/sparkly 6 inch heels — they certainly added an interesting contrast to the doctoral robes. She almost fell over when she had to “dip” as they placed her hood over her head! Her family were yelling, “HEEYYY, __________!” (It should have been, “HEEEY, DOCTOR ________, if they were going to yell, at least yell the right thing!)
Justbehappy_live is too short
June 6th, 2012
8:46 am
Come on people…only ONCE I would let every scream as much as they like for their kids, we had ours in 2004 in Alpharetta Ga..everybody screamed their heads off and went on just fine, just be happy but…I understand some people don’t like noise..but come on go sit in cemetery and have your kid graduation there, take it or leave it BTW I am redneck and have only one tooth and i can’t stand Idiots.
pjnga
June 6th, 2012
8:50 am
Lesha, you are correct…yesterday cannot be replaced. So the student behind you, whose parents have waited just as long to hear their childs name announced at graduation will never be able to hear it, will never be able to capture it on video, will never be able to experience the joy that your mother did because she could only think of herself and did not have the common courtesy to allow the same joy to others. Not like she couldn’t hoot, hollar and display her enthusiasm to you afterwards, now is it. Stop and think about others and how would you feel if nobody heard your name called out. Mutual RESPECT….must be a thing of the past.
Because they are trash
June 6th, 2012
8:51 am
I attended a high school graduation in South Carolina where a mother screamed, ‘way to go you motherf******, which is on a family dvd to this day. How proud the mom must have been to share that affectionate term with the audience.
THE INFAMOUS DK
June 6th, 2012
8:52 am
Not jailed but thrown out, immediately. Stop the program point them out and have them escorted out in front of everyone. Have some decorum. Nobody wants to hear the ignorant yells of some over zealous parent. Its embarrasing if you ask me. Class. You either have it or you dont.
Justbehappy_live is too short
June 6th, 2012
8:52 am
Just scream as loud as you can and be happy! whoohoooo! if you don’t like it just plug your ears and sit in the back, I’ll let stupeed low arrest me.
Frankie
June 6th, 2012
8:58 am
Schools are requesting and warning audience memebers that if they conduct themselves in a disorderly fashion then they will be asked to leave….
I am sorry but HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, LIKE COLLEGE GRADUATION is a big deal, maybe not for some of you but to me it a GREAT accomplishment.
I think that when you have to sit through 300 – 500 students some show of emotion is warranted. My family has worked hard to provide our children with everything they need in order to graduate…
SO I am going to cheer for my daughter…
If you don’t want no one to cheer or have them cheer all at the same time then…do not call individual names… and graduate the class in one fell swoop…no walking across the stage.
Jus thave them stand up, be granted the honor and then sit down…now is that fair…and neither is not allowing us to cheer..
I understand people going overboard and not sitting down or “cat-calling” throughout the ceremony…yes that is a distraction…but come on man…
Georgia - Arresting a mom for bad behavior at high school graduation - Stormfront
June 6th, 2012
9:00 am
[...] [...]
Frankie
June 6th, 2012
9:05 am
who care what race the person was I am sure if she were white you people would be saying why couldn’t becky cheer for her daughter…
I am so tired of all the racist comments on this blog…it seems that this blog continues to focus on race as an issue…
I have seen just as many white families cheer, act ignorant and stupid as i have seen black families…
You racist (black or white) need to get real..when did you become the perfect person…
JeffNeGa
June 6th, 2012
9:11 am
It all boils down to Simple Respect. Our oldest just graduated this past Friday and, yes, there were some rowdies in the crowd, but nothing out of hand.
Simple Respect…every kid on the field, or stage, worked hard to get through 12 years of schools, putting up with standardized tests, bureaucracy, peer pressure to stray off the path, and many more obstacles. They DESERVE to have their name heard. And the family that raised them and supported them along the way DESERVES to hear their name called. The speaker at the start of the ceremony asks/asked everyone to please refrain from excessive cheering, in order to allow every name to be heard. Simple Respect….
Simple Respect… It seems that the world we live in today has forgotten what this term means. Whether it is in a restaurant, movie theater, or just in a public park, there are always those who think that the world revolves around them and they expect everyone to know it. I was raised by parents who taught me to open doors for people, man or woman, just because it is a nice gesture. It appalls me to see how many people will let a door slam on someone in a wheelchair, or in the face of a very pregnant woman…(yes, I have seen both). It takes all of maybe 5 seconds to open a door for someone…
Cheering for you child is fine…but give the other parents whose kid worked just as hard, or harder, a little bit of simple respect. Cheer for a couple of seconds, then be quiet. After the ceremony, scream your bloody head off if you want too, but give every one a chance to be celebrated.
Simple Respect…
Where did it all go?
Parent
June 6th, 2012
9:11 am
I have zero problem with her spending the night in jail…sounds like she could care less about the other students and only about her child. No respect for the graduation and no respect for the other families. I hope she enjoyed her night in jail.
von
June 6th, 2012
9:18 am
Whatever happened to just clapping? At something like a Graduation ceremony, hooting and hollering would be akin to a handful of people at a wedding acting like a touchdown had been scored when the bride says “I do” Show some restraint and allow the graduates the Dignity they deserve. At the same time I think making arrests and denying children their rightfully earned diploma is going way too far. I hope the family whose son was denied a diploma because of their actions sues the hell out of that school.
Now I see where the child gets it from.
June 6th, 2012
9:19 am
First off let me say that no individuals were arrested for cheering too loud. The individuals were warned before the start of the CEREMONY that this type of behavior would not be tolerated. However, Lil Pookie, Ray-Ray, Shanquita and Aint Mae-Mae just couldn’t help themselves. When they are asked to leave the CEREMONY they become irate and the proper criminal charges were applied. People need to learn how to follow instructions… it’s only High School.
ATC
June 6th, 2012
9:22 am
It does not appear (from the quoted language) that this young lady paid a great deal of attention in her English classes.
Koolaid House
June 6th, 2012
9:35 am
@psdad – did you graduate from high school? If you did, did you not consider a major accomplishment at that time. Absolutely amazing how people become so jaded once they age! And, the fact that one graduates from high school doesn’t mean they’ll go on to flip burgers (if they in fact can land a job) re your 8:24.
Get a grip. Graduating from high school should still be looked at as an accomplishment. SHEESH.
I agree, InfamousDK!
David
June 6th, 2012
9:35 am
To hold a child’s diploma and give him community service punishment because of that child’s family’s cheering actions is “ludicrous”. That’s like Muslims beating a boys sister because he was caught talking to a prostitute. Stop the ceremony, remove the offending parties and that would discourage others from the same actions. But to hold the child’s diploma is punishing the wrong party. As for me, If I was his parent I would see a lawyer, demand his diploma and an apology!
MsATL
June 6th, 2012
9:44 am
I beileve that the arrest was excessive. That said, when my son graduated from high school a couple of weeks ago, I was extremely proud of him. Yes, in today’s time, high school graduation is indeed a big accomplishment. There were several groups at the graduation who screamed, hollered, and stomped on the benches, drowning out the name of the next graduate. I find that to be inconsiderate and rude and wanted to say something to them myself. You can be proud but still classy and respectful.
Sunny
June 6th, 2012
9:49 am
While I believe that jail time is harsh, I certainly understand the request for decorum at graduation ceremonies. I remember crying through my entire undergrad ceremony because I thought my family had failed to show up (you could’ve heard a pin drop after they called my name). The problem was that not only were the family of the previous graduate yelling like idiots, the announcer botched my name in the midst of the commotion so my family didn’t hear my name at all. It’s not a good feeling at all.
luangtom
June 6th, 2012
9:50 am
Tony@4:43 says it all. He was there. Why the bruhaha for elementary or high school graduation? Knowing the CRCT needed to pass or fail makes one wonder what sort of accomplishment this really is? I cannot fathom why parents cannot learn to control themselves when they are to be role-models for their children? Rules are rules, get over it.
George
June 6th, 2012
9:56 am
I’m not a big fan of the ACLU, but one of their attorneys will jump all over this, get the arrest thrown out and get a huge payday for those who’ve been arrested or threatened with arrest. Freedom of speech, (sometimes even obnoxious speech) is guaranteed by the Constitution.
Aquagirl
June 6th, 2012
9:58 am
If I was his parent I would see a lawyer, demand his diploma and an apology!
Good for you! Because what our schools need are more entitled parents with lawyers howling over their precious snowflakes!
Most graduates have tickets for their ceremonies and therefore they determine who attends. Maybe if “the child” (who is most likely 18) has screaming, gibbering yayhoos in the family, this is a good opportunity for “the child” to learn a lesson in responsibility and making hard choices. Lord knows they didn’t learn that from their lawyer-wielding enabler parents, so it’s got to come from somewhere.
TBONE
June 6th, 2012
10:02 am
RULES ARE RULES AND THEY ARE PUT IN PLACE FOR A REASON. AND THIS SIMPLE REQUEST HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR YEARS. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY IT IS IN PLACE, WELL HERE YOU GO. THE RULE ALLOWS EVERYONE TO HEAR THERE CHILDS NAME CALLED, AND IT SPEEDS THINGS ALONG, YOUR ON A TIME LIMIT. WE CAN ALL SING TOGETHER BUT WE CAN NOT TALK TOGETHER.
Jazzmine
June 6th, 2012
10:08 am
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! y’all crazy!! how dare you judge that persons level of celebration or praise. you have no idea what might have transpired in their lives. she may have barely graduated due to a number of reasons..(ie: illness, death or whatever).. if we stop putting so many people in one school, maybe just maybe we can spare 30 seconds for celebration! #SpreadThePeace
HallCounty
June 6th, 2012
10:10 am
At my nephews graduation in a Hall Co. HS, the graduates were told that their diploma would be withheld if their family cheered during the ceremony. An annoucement was made before the ceremony saying you could stand when your graduates name was called to honor your graduate. So, when one of the Special Ed graduates name was called the whole graduating class stood up. Now that was awesome!
Koolaid House
June 6th, 2012
10:13 am
That is awesome HallC!
Jazzmine
June 6th, 2012
10:16 am
really Repulsed…. u have no idea why they were celebration for a high school graduation.. have you NOT seen the news & know that only 75% of USA kids are actually graduating.. stop judging and let’s find a way to incorporate celebrations.
Jazzmine
June 6th, 2012
10:17 am
love it HallC… that’s exactly what we need. if you do not want the raucous celebrations, find another way to help the families celebrate & recognize their students success.