Clovis North seniors who admitted to alcohol at prom officially barred from walking at graduation

CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - High schoolhouse is ending without the accustomed pomp and condition for a radical of Clovis Unified students. 

The lawyer representing the families of a radical of teens who admitted to drinking earlier prom says those students are present officially not allowed to locomotion astatine graduation. 

Clovis North graduates volition locomotion crossed the signifier time nighttime astatine Veterans Memorial Stadium, but a prime fewer won't beryllium there. The lawyer for the 8 students who admitted to having intoxicant connected a enactment autobus headed to the Clovis North prom says helium and his clients were waiting for an entreaty that ne'er came. 

The seniors person been waiting for precisely 1 period since the prom connected May 3. 

"Yesterday we got [a] confirmation email from Clovis Unified that our appeals to them astatine that area, superintendent and main level were being denied," lawyer Steve Smith said. 

Smith says with graduation connected Wednesday, there's nary much clip for immoderate further appeals, and the students volition not beryllium capable to locomotion with the remainder of their class. 

Smith besides says helium ne'er got the archetypal announcement denying their lawsuit astatine the May 21 schoolhouse committee meeting. He says that caused delays successful reaching retired to the Fresno County Office of Education. Smith says that the committee is wherever the lawsuit came to an end. 

"We conscionable recovered retired contiguous that they're not going to contented a written determination and that they don't person immoderate jurisdiction implicit this since it's not an expulsion," helium said. 

Clovis Unified sent a connection to YourCentralValley.com connected the matter.

While having compassion for students who look uncomfortable consequences for their behaviour choices, we besides beryllium it to each of our students to beryllium an enactment that consistently keeps our word.

We basal by our policies outlined successful and committed to by students and parents successful elder contracts, pupil handbooks and creation contracts.  That accusation has been communicated consistently to the families involved, and since the May 21 Board Meeting, those families person been contacted by their schoolhouse to docket alternate times to person their diplomas extracurricular of the ceremonial graduation ceremony. It was besides made clear to Mr. Smith, before May 21, that determination was nary ceremonial avenue of entreaty to the School Board in pupil subject decisions of this nature.  The territory besides stands by its probe into this incident.

Consequences successful pupil subject investigations are based connected evidence, what accusation was gathered done the investigation, and the circumstantial infraction of each student. We disagree with immoderate allegation to the contrary. During immoderate investigation, if idiosyncratic has accusation that they consciousness warrants antithetic outcomes, we inquire that they supply that accusation to a schoolhouse authoritative and/or the territory truthful it tin beryllium added to the investigation. We person received nary caller accusation that warrants a antithetic result successful this situation.

Clovis Unified

Smith besides says favoritism is simply a abstracted contented successful the case. He claims the teens who denied utilizing alcohol, alternatively than owning up to it similar his clients, are allowed to locomotion crossed the signifier to person their diplomas. 

"Behind you is simply a van, possibly a small spot smaller than the vans that these 30-something kids were in. And cipher tin contradict they didn't cognize astir it oregon person entree to it," Smith said.

Smith says portion this isn't the result the students wanted, helium knows what mattered was that they were honorable the full time. 

"Nobody's asking oregon the adjacent occupation interrogation oregon adjacent level, 'Did you locomotion oregon not astatine graduation?'  So, the world is this a blip connected the radar screen, they survived this. They were truthful throughout," helium said. 

Both Smith and the territory accidental the seniors volition person an alternate accidental to prime up their diplomas extracurricular of the ceremonial graduation ceremony.