Conn. school says teen can go to prom
Shelton High School seniors Sonali Rodrigues and James Tate stand outside Shelton High School in Shelton, Conn. A Connecticut high school headmaster has reversed her decision to ban Tate from the prom. (May 10, 2011) Credit: AP
A Connecticut high school headmaster has reversed her decision to ban a student from the prom after he broke school rules by hanging his prospective date's invitation at the school entrance.
The girl said yes, but Shelton High School senior James Tate was suspended for posting the invitation on a wall in 12-inch cardboard letters. School officials said it was a safety risk.
Under school rules, because Tate was suspended after April 1, he couldn't go to the prom with date Sonali Rodrigues.
But on Saturday, headmaster Beth Smith announced a policy change. Now, the school decides prom attendance for suspended students on a "case-by-case" basis. In Tate's case, he can go. Smith acknowledged the "international notoriety" the case received on social-networking sites had an effect. Students also staged a protest sit-in.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
