Brenden Patch:
I was informed this afternoon that Madison Lee is not going to be allowed to go to Prom. I am aware that she is in the hospital, but I am also aware that her doctors had this Saturday fully planned; if she were still in the hospital at that time, they were going to medicate her to allow her to move around without pain, and let her enjoy her Prom. I'd like to know who made this grand executive decision, five days before the dance, and the justifications for said decision. I've discussed this with several my peers, all of whom are close to Madison, and we agree that if she wants to go to the Prom (and we have no reason to doubt that she was ecstatic about going), she should be allowed to go. Now, I've heard indirectly that the cause of her prohibition from attending is her increasing number of school absences. Is it just me, or does her condition not justify these absences? She's in the hospital, I don't think it's her decision to miss school. I also heard the phrase, "It wouldn't look good if she were to be allowed to go." Firstly, who are we trying to make a good impression on? Will there be representatives of colleges checking on us throughout? Secondly, why is it specifically her case that calls for these measures? Students take dates from other schools regularly, and I don't see how that's much different from taking a student whose attendance record is flawed. I hate to be rude, but this is pretty frustrating for me, as I planned to take her to the dance. This is my last dance at Academy, and I wanted to spend it with her. I apologize for the rage; it's been building up for six hours, and I don't know whom to be angry at in the first place. Please consider changing whatever policy whoever put in place so that Madison and all her friends can have a good Prom experience, we'd all appreciate it greatly.
Thank you for your time,
Brenden
Chelsea Arata:
I would like to follow up Brenden's email with another point that I feel should be made. After everything the junior class has gone through with Challenge Day and the work that was done to ensure students feeling comfortable in their own skin and fighting oppression and judgement, I feel that this decision undermines those causes. Madison's condition is not her fault, and it seems unfair that she is being punished for it. I agree with Brenden that this is frustrating because students DO take dates from other schools routinely, yet we feel no need to analyze said dates' attendance records or health records. Yes, she is in the hospital, but past students have been as well and they were permitted to attend prom. I for one don't believe that this decision should have been made as it was, and I agree with Brenden that this decision ought to be reconsidered. I would like to see my friend at prom, as I know many others would. If there are any facts that have been muddled, I apologize. I do hope this will be thought through again, and I would like to be informed of the conclusions of that if permissable.
Thank you for your time,
Chelsea
Leigha Grosh:
I'm glad to see both of these e-mails as I was very upset when I came home from school today. I even talked with my parents about it to make sure I wasn't completely off base, and they agreed with me. I just feel that after all Madison has sacrificed for her schooling at Academy, she should be able to go her prom. Remember, this would be her senior prom if she had been able to finish last year. Senior prom is one of the last times seniors will have to spend with all of our classmates before we go off to college. I still consider Madison a part of our class and just as deserving as any of us to partake in that experience. I'm sure there are good reasons if this all is true, but I would hope that providing Madison with as normal of a high school experience as possible should be one of the most important considerations. I hope that my words will not be taken as Madison's. She said that she understood the decision. It is her friends who would like an explanation.
I appreciate your reading this,
Leigha