Posted on 04/16/2012 2:11:27 PM PDT by Velveeta
A 17-year-old varsity baseball player in suburban Cleveland is being banned from walking at his own graduation for racking up two too many unexcused absences. While those circumstances might be considered the fault of the athlete in most cases, Carrollton (Ohio) High senior Austin Fisher's case is a rather extraordinary one: His absences were all brought on by time he spent caring for his mother, who has spent the past six years battling breast cancer.
As reported by Cleveland Fox affiliate WJW, Fisher has missed 16 days during his senior year, none of which have technically been excused. The Carrollton school district caps the number of absences allowable for a student to walk with his or her graduation class at 14, a number which means that Fisher will not be able to walk across the stage with the rest of his classmates.
For Fisher and other seniors at the school, that seems extremely unfair, particularly because all of his absences were brought on by his own heroic efforts to care for his mother, as he is the only other person who lives in their household. When Teresa Fisher became too sick to work, Austin Fisher took on two different jobs to help pay the bills. On a number of other days, Austin Fisher missed school so he could run his mother to cancer treatments and then care for her when she was bedridden after returning home.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Petition http://www.change.org/petitions/allow-austin-fisher-to-walk-and-graduate-with-his-2012-class-after-caring-for-his-sick-mom
“Let Fish Walk” Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/281683671915631/
Sounds pretty legitimate to me.
This is a further anecdotal indication that the average public school administrator is a blithering idiot.
Another case of zero-tolerance = Lack of common sense.
Rules are Rules. Sorry pal. You knew the drill when you first signed into the vast lunacy of the edjamacashional system.
Perhaps they’ll mail your diploma to you.
/sarc
One indicator it is past time to hit the reset button is when the letter of the law out weighs the spirit of the law.
Our culture is rapidly becoming something that should not be salvaged.
Reset.
He should have told them she was dieing of AIDS. Free pass and a tutor would have been minimum.
Punish him for caring for his family ... that should be the job of the state.
If his mom had medical issues he should have let the state assume custody of him. No child should ever be allowed to care for a parent.
Bad boy, punishment due.
/sarcasm
My suggestion, if Austin Fisher is not allowed to walk, then all Seniors should sit down and refuse to walk in support of Austin.
Hoping all good FReepers will sign the petition and pass the word.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if all his classmates boycotted the graduation exercise in sympathy?
I’m choking back tears at the thought of it.
My suggestion is that if he's not allowed to walk, they all should stand up, turn around, lift their gowns, and display a bright shining mooooon to the pigs who call themselves "educators."
I understand rule, but they must be tempered with common sense.
Twitter #letfishwalk
I totally agree.
School phone number 330.627.2134
Why doesn’t his mom call in and excuse his absences?
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