Parents: Graduation Fiasco Not The First Time

BROOKSVILLE - For many local parents, it was a case of dejÀ vu.

When Brooksville resident Pheobo Peacock picked up the paper Thursday and saw the story regarding ticket-wielding family members who were denied entrance into this year's overcrowded Hernando High School graduation ceremony, she had one thought.

It's not the first time.

Peacock is one of several parents who say Hernando High - the only area high school that has intentionally planned an indoor graduation ceremony in recent years - has had the same problem for years.

"The same thing happened when my son graduated in 2006, only the parents didn't get as irate," she said. "This is not something that just happened this year. The administrators are full of it."

Guests of the class of 2008 expressed anger about the situation at the school Tuesday, in which parents and family members arrived at the Hernando High gymnasium to find guarded doors and a crowd of angry parents.

Nearly 200 family members and friends had tickets, but were guided into the auditorium, or "overflow room," because of the lack of space. Approximately 70 teachers and staff members left their seats to allow more parents to sit down inside.

But the same thing has happened in past years, parents said.

Peacock said that while she was able to gain access to the ceremony in 2006 due to being in a wheelchair at the time, several of her other family members were forced to watch the ceremony from a large-screen TV in the auditorium, just like this year.

"You spend all these years sending your kid to school to watch them walk across the stage on a TV," she said. "It's ludicrous."

Brooksville resident Linda Vonberg agreed, and also recalled the fiasco from her daughter's graduation in 2006.

"They're trying to act like this is the first time this has ever happened," she said.

With 10 relatives who attended the ceremony - all of whom had tickets - only three were allowed in. The rest had to watch from the auditorium, she said.

"I thought they would have gotten it together by now," Vonberg said. "It's frustrating that it happened again, and to hear Hernando High (officials say) they weren't responsible for this. At the very least, they just give out the number of tickets that they have seats for."

This year, each student was given six tickets for guests, with nearly 300 seniors in the school's graduating class.

In 2006, the graduating class topped 186.

As former vice president of the school's quarterback club, Peacock said parents have pleaded with administrators each year to host the ceremony outside in the school's stadium instead.

"The answer was always the same - that (in the event of) rain, they didn't want to have to set up two places," she said. "Parents have been complaining about this for years."

Peacock said she thinks parents would be more understanding about the "overflow" situation if it was a forced decision, due to rain. However, since there has never been any effort to place the ceremony outside, it's difficult for parents to comprehend the rationale.

But Superintendent Wayne Alexander told Hernando Today's media partner WFLA reporter Jeff Patterson that the request from parents did not reach his desk until it was too late.

"I think if it had, we would have made some last minute arrangements and tried to accommodate everyone," he said. "The (request) actually got to me as we were walking in for the graduation. It was a little too late."

A former Connecticut administrator, this was Alexander's first year with the district. He said Wednesday that he was not aware of what had occurred in past years, but acknowledged there were flaws in this year's ceremony.

"I think it was poor planning on the part of the administrative staff at (the school)," he told Patterson.

"It is what it is and I think we made a mistake and did a poor job," he added. "That doesn't necessarily help parents or people who felt that they couldn't get in."

As part of his districtwide reorganization plan revealed in March, Alexander is moving all of Hernando High's administrators to other schools next year. Incoming principal Ken Pritz will be planning next year's graduation ceremony.

However, Alexander said Wednesday that the issue will be resolved by having all future Hernando High graduation ceremonies outdoors at the school's stadium.