Posted on 05/18/2005 11:07:30 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A pregnant student at a Roman Catholic High School, told she could not participate in her graduation ceremony, announced her own name and walked across the stage anyway at the close of the program.
Alysha Cosby's decision prompted cheers and applause from many of her fellow seniors and dozens of others at St. Jude Educational Institute's Tuesday night ceremony.
But some murmured that her act was in poor taste and that it took away from the ceremony, the Montgomery Advertiser reported.
The father of Cosby's child is also a senior at the school and was allowed to participate in graduation. His name was not released.
"I can't believe something like this is happening in 2005. I feel like we have regressed instead of progressed," said her mother, Sheila Cosby. "My daughter has been through a lot and I am proud of her. She deserved to walk, and she did."
Alysha Cosby announced her name and walked the stage after the last senior named in the program was called. Her mother and aunt, Debra Blackwell, were escorted out of St. Jude Church by police after Alysha Cosby headed back to her seat.
"I really came to support my classmates. Doing this was really a last-minute thing," Cosby said after her family left the building.
The school's guidance counselor delivered Cosby's degree to her house early Tuesday afternoon, but she still wanted to participate.
"I worked hard throughout high school and I wanted to walk with my class," Cosby said.
Cosby, whose name was not listed on the graduation program, was told in March that she could no longer attend school because of what were described as safety concerns. School officials told her to complete her class work at home.
School policy states that the administration can decide if a student needs to be homeschooled based on medical safety, physiological well-being and social issues.
If she earned her diploma like all the other students, she had the right to walk the aisle. Have no fear people, when that baby comes, the consequences will be very obvious to her. (not that having a baby is a horrible thing) She will have to deal with not going out with the girls... or the guys. She will be sitting at home learning selflessness and patience while her fellow graduates are out there having fun and learning more about the world around them as well as learning more about themselves. In the meantime, she doesn't need anyone else kicking her while she is down.
Is she talking about the graduation ceremony or her teenage daughter getting pregnant?
I agree with you.
Probably about the graduation and the father of the child being allowed to graduate.
I know but in my opinion it applies to the pregancy as well. It's 2005, we discuss teen pregnancy in the open now, birth control is all over the place, and teen girls still get pregnant. I find that a little more shocking than how this girl was treated.
The girl has the right to spread her legs and make an ass of herself.
Mrs Grundy just needs something to complain about.
Just wanted to highlight that.
It wasn't the CHURCH who told her she couldn't walk across that stage. It was the SCHOOL.
What makes you think she'll do any of those things for her child?
She didn't have to go to a catholic school. Why go there if not to follow its tenets? BTW - nothing in the article says that she is catholic. Many none Catholics attend C. schools.
I think she should be rewarded for the good decisions she ~did~ make. To stay pregnant, and stay in school. I agree with the poster who says pro-life people should be the last to treat unwed mothers like trash.
The school can pretend she is the only sin in the school, but she's not. She's just the one it shows on.
She most obviously did not. She flunked both Sex-Ed and Morals.
At this point, how does anyone know who the father is?
That's pretty funny. Must have infuriated the nunnery!
"Just because they don't have a belly hanging out on their wedding day doesn't make them any better than the ones who do have a belly on their wedding day."
Nope, it just makes them more responsible. If this girl and her mate had acted as responsibly as 90% of the other teens in America, this would not have happened. With SO MANY free, cheap and readily available means of birth control available these days, the only real excuse these (or any)teens have is, "I'm an irresponsible idiot".
And, of course, we have the parent coming to the rescue, blaming everyone but the child and herself. Notice there was no mention of any man in the family picture. The girl, her mother, and the aunt. The cycle continues...
Of she fulfilled her graduation requirements, she should be able to participate in the graduation ceremonies.
Either she graduated or she didn't. If she did, allow her the same courtesy as the other graduates.
On the other hand, this is a private school and can make it's own rules.
Not that I'm straddling the fence, or anything. :0)
I suspect mother and aunt will be full time babysitters and she will miss out on little to nothing.
Yep, we sure have alot of people ready to pick up and cast some stones here. I'm sure lucky to be around the sinless here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.