The Knuckleheads of the Day award

Today's winners are Superintendent Gene Denisar, Galesburg High School Principal Tom Chiles and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Joel Estes. They get the award for withholding high school diplomas from five Galesburg High School students, because their families cheered at the school's graduation ceremony. The Illinois State board of Education doesn't support the decision. What should be done is fire these three fools and give the diplomas to the students. This is absolutely disgraceful. They fufilled the graduation requirements, so the students should get the diplomas. Anything else and these petty bureaucratic morons(and I'd call them worse) should find work in something more in tune with their intelligence. Like digging ditches.

For absolute stupidity in today's education system, Superintendent Gene Denisar, Galesburg High School Principal Tom Chiles and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Joel Estes are today's Knuckleheads of the Day.

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GALESBURG - The Illinois State Board of Education said it does not support a District 205 policy that withholds diplomas from five students because of a disruptive audience at their graduation.

‘It’s certainly not a policy we would support,’ Illinois State Board of Education spokesman Matt Vanover said Friday. ‘We would have some concerns in that you would be withholding a diploma from someone who earned a diploma.’

Galesburg High School students Amanda Kelley, Nadia Trent, Caisha Gayles, Monique Williams and Dayvon Lampkin were denied their diplomas after administrators said they or their parents violated a ‘contract,’ signed by all graduates and their parents.

The contract banned ‘inappropriate or disruptive behavior’ by parents and students during the May 27 graduation ceremony, including screaming, howling, hooting, dancing, non-traditional handshaking and others.

Administrators say family members in the audience cheered too loudly when the names were called, so the district denied the five students their diplomas.

Four of the students are black, while one is of mixed race. The students and their families say they were singled out because of their race, but Superintendent Gene Denisar denied any racial motivation.

The Chicago Tribune and Fox News have inquired about the story. On Friday, representatives from ‘Good Morning America’ called one of the students, possibly to fly her out to appear on the show.

The students are still considered graduates from the school, which will be reflected on their transcripts. The physical diploma, however, is being withheld by the district.

In an effort to resolve the situation, two of the students and their families met Thursday and Friday with Denisar, Galesburg High School Principal Tom Chiles and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Joel Estes.

A resolution wasn’t reached Friday, and the groups will meet again at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Denisar, Chiles and Estes declined to comment on the matter Friday afternoon.