Florida valedictorian stands up to school board on stage over unfair graduation ceremonies

Broward County Public Schools recently announced it will move most of its graduation ceremonies to the gym instead of splurging on extravagant venues as they've done in the past. The decision, however, met criticism from both parents and the students. In fact, a high school valedictorian questioned the authority directly at the board meeting. Among several other students, this boy revealed that the decision is deeply rooted in discrimination based on social class. What followed shocked everyone on the internet. The board not only refused to answer, but they also dismissed the boy as if he were invisible. 

"I don't want to be rude...how is it fair?" he asked. The boy described it as a "horrendous" attempt to discriminate between kids from different social backgrounds. He asked, "How can you justify that there are some students graduating from Hard Rock, which is one of the best places in Florida, whereas I have to graduate from Pompano Beach gymnasium?" There is absolutely no issue with having graduation ceremonies inside gyms, but the very disparity between the "rich" and not-so-rich schools is concerning. Reportedly, the board said that larger schools like Cypress Bay and Marjory Stoneman Douglas will still have their graduation ceremonies at external venues like Hard Rock Live or comparable large spaces, which is what has offended most of the kids and their parents. Two weeks before the students went to the board meeting to speak directly to them, he had, in fact, met a member who assured him that, before taking a final decision, parents would be allowed to give their opinions. However, the board didn't follow that and instead notified the parents only after deciding on the changes. "Was that a blatant lie? I would like an answer, please?" he said. While he was waiting for a response, the board pretended like he wasn't there and moved on with their discussion. Seconds later, they even recessed the meeting without answering the kid.

Educational Institutions should treat everyone equally, but the reality is far from that. While Broward County Public Schools is accused of treating students from rich and middle-class backgrounds differently, many report discrimination for reasons beyond socioeconomic status alone. In fact, Qualtrics and College Pulse investigated more than 2,700 current undergraduate and graduate students, and the results were shocking. They found that nearly 1 in 3 that is 31% reported facing discrimination at their institution. They also revealed that students of color were more likely than white students to feel discriminated against, hinting at widespread racial discrimination. Political belief is also another factor that makes some students vulnerable at their educational institution, and 10% respondents in the survey agreed to experiencing it.

People praised the boy for asking a very 'legit' question, but called out the school board for dismissing him without answering him; for instance, @lokininer commented, "There should be a law that forces public servants to answer questions when they have a public forum. If they don't answer a question that is asked, they should be held in contempt! They should also be required to hold meetings once a month and stay until everyone who wants to speak gets to speak!" @bongiornodianne wrote, "It seems like a reasonable question to me, and they adjourned the meeting so they didn’t have to answer!" @dimitrilyon said, "Incapable adults. No answer and recessing the meeting. If our children are supposed to be the ones who lead the future, they demand to have their voice heard. And those in charge are required to provide those answers, not shy away from them."

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