After considering a student petition allowing cellphones at graduation, T.C. Williams High School Principal Suzanne Maxey reaffirmed the ban.
Graduating seniors at TC compiled a petition with more than 350 signatures arguing that seniors should be allowed to have their cell phones during the graduation ceremony on Monday, June 15, at George Mason Patriot Center. The students argued that they would need cell phones to find their families at the end of the ceremony, in case of emergency, and to take photos and videos of the ceremony.
Maxey acknowledged the seniors efforts, stating “I am greatly in favor of hearing the voices of the students and thought that the petition was well written and made many good points, however we decided that there was no real real reason to lift the ban.” She took it under consideration and spoke to the School Board, but they decided it was not a good idea to let the seniors have their cell phones during the ceremony.
“I want the kids to live in the moment,” said Maxey, noting that phones will ruin the ceremony for the majority of the students. She wants students to sit back and enjoy the ceremony for what it is. “There is a time and a place for cell phones, however graduation is not one of them, they will have plenty of time at the all night grad party to take selfies and text,” she said.
While some students were also concerned about finding their friends and families after the ceremony, Maxey assured the students that finding their parents will not be a problem because there is only one exit at the graduation venue. She is also concerned with the way the student body will be perceived. If the petition were approved, she is concerned that some of the students would take advantage of the lifted ban, ruining the ceremony and the students’ moments and speeches, and giving TC a bad reputation.
Some students are still aggravated over the situation. They believe that although there is no possibility of getting lost there is still the off chance that something not anticipated might happen and being unable to contact parents could be a major liability.
“I feel that Mrs. Maxey has an extremely old-fashioned traditionalist view on life. Our generation lives through our phones sometimes. That doesn’t mean we’re missing out; it just means that we want to share our experiences with everyone,” said senior Sarah Jean.
As for TC’s reputation, graduating senior Miniya Shabazz, a part of TC’s student leadership, said, “Our reputation was already bad, honestly that’s something that’s going to stay for a while, only because people are always ready to label TC.”
Some parents are equally concerned about finding their children at the end of the ceremony. “We’ve never been to George Mason [University], and I want to be able to keep in contact with my child to make sure she’s OK. There are many people attending the ceremony, over 1,000 in fact, and the concern isn’t that we will get lost, the concern is deeper than that. What if she is taken, or even worse? This could be a huge lawsuit in the making for TC,” said Francois and Sandra Jean, parents of graduating senior, Sarah Jean.