walk.

The principal made an announcement this year to the senior class. "We aren't going to have any pity walks" she told them "if you don't have the credits you need, you will not be walking in the graduation ceremony"

The kids knew she was making that up and so did I. Everybody that makes it to the end walks, whether they have earned it or not. Under the board of education it's mandated that students that have any kind of disability (physical, mental, behavioral, educational) that they have a right to participate in a graduation ceremony. Since our school population is forty percent special education it's likely that most students will be able to use that right.

So Angel Thompson will walk. Angel who has 4 credits below the requirement and that missed 4 weeks of school this year for no given reason. Angel Thompson will walk.

And is that bad? Is it wrong that she be able to do so? Is it a slap in the face to the kids that actually made it, that will have met all the standards required to graduate.

I don't know.

I guess I feel like its an accomplishment in itself that Angel got this far. Even if she didn't get the amount of credits she needed she was one of the 25% of her freshman class to stay all four years. So should she be able to walk for that? Should she be able to get her picture taken with her mother with her cap and gown on? Should she be able to scream and yell along with her classmates when they throw their hats up in the air?

I wouldn't want to make that decision.