CAIRO SCHOOLS ISSUE GRADUATION DECISION

CAIRO, Ill. -- Students who have not completed graduation requirements at Cairo High School here will not be permitted to go through graduation ceremonies scheduled at 3 p.m. today.

The Cairo Board of Education made the decision during a special meeting held Saturday.

Dr. Elaine Bonifield, superintendent of the Cairo district, announced the decision of the board following the meeting.

The school policy, said Bonifield, has specific requirements concerning graduation, and one of those requirements is that students have to have enough credits to participate in graduation ceremonies.

The board has to follow a certain process to change any policy, and there's no way any policy could be change by the Sunday graduation ceremony, noted Bonifield.

Three students lack the required credits for graduation.

If allowed, this would have been the first time in the history of the school that students were allowed to participate in the ceremony without having met the criteria for graduation, said Ron Newell, president of the Cairo Association of Teachers (C.A.T.).

"At a time when society expects teachers to produce students who meet certain standards, it is of grave concern when a school board decides to circumvent those standards by allow certain students special favors."

Attempts to lower graduation standards are not be looked upon favorably by the C.A.T, noted Newell.