Posted on 06/05/2002 1:48:30 PM PDT by Temple Owl
June 05, 2002
Woman fights to attend prom after being told she’s too old
By Sean McGrady
Robin Mercer almost missed her prom this week – for the second time.
She missed her first chance 22 years ago by dropping out of school at the age of 15, a decision she calls "foolish" in retrospect.
Yesterday, she feared she would miss her second chance when Tom Taylor, principal of Sharbot Lake High School, informed her that she would not be allowed to attend the prom.
The reason: She is too old.
Mercer, who is 37, went back to school this year to obtain her Grade 12 through correspondence at the local adult learning centre, which became affiliated with Sharbot Lake High School this past fall.
"I was told the adult learning centre and Sharbot Lake High School were one in the same and that I would be permitted to go to any school event, including the prom," Mercer said.
"So I bought my tickets the first day they went on sale. ... I’ve probably had them for three weeks. I was never told I might not be able to go until today."
"I spent over $500 on an outfit for the prom. I spent over $300 on a chain made special for my neck.
"The only way they were going to stop me [from attending the prom] was to arrest me at the door."
Mercer said she can’t understand why there was an issue with her attending the dance.
In fact, when contacted by The Whig-Standard later in the day, principal Taylor said he had reversed his decision and told Mercer she would be able to attend the dance after all.
"She’ll be at the prom," he said.
All schools have similar age policies for dances, Taylor said, and it was the new connection between the centre and the high school that was at the root of what he described as a "complication."
"There may be cause to review the dance policy," he said.
Taylor would not provide further explanation for why he made an exception to let Mercer attend the prom.
Mercer, however, said that Taylor might have felt outside pressure.
"I told him that either I was going to prom or I was going to court."
Mercer told The Whig-Standard that she had planned to complain to the Limestone District School Board and even pursue legal action had Taylor not allowed her to attend the dance. Even if Mercer hadn’t succeeded in changing Taylor’s mind, she said she had no intention of changing her plans for the evening.
Mercer says the idea of attending the prom has been very important to her since she decided to go back to school.
"It was important to me because I was foolish enough to drop out of school at 15."
Unfortunately, the prom won’t be all that it could have been because of the controversy, she said.
"I’m not going to feel very good. It will definitely put a damper on the evening."
Mercer will attend the dance with her husband David, and plans to graduate in the fall. Her eldest son, Justin, is also attending Friday night’s prom, but there are no plans for a double date.
Said Mercer: "Hopefully we’ll be sitting at the same table, but who knows?"
And one paycheck away from being homeless. :-/
great for the ed. but this prom thing?
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