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Senior faces diploma dilemma
Lyons Township High says a student with Down syndrome must forfeit free job training if she participates in commencement

By Grace Aduroja
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 27, 2004

Despite having Down syndrome, Brittany Booth has completed the required coursework at Lyons Township High School in four years--without setting foot in a special-education classroom.

The 18-year-old was looking forward to donning a royal blue cap and gown on June 6 with her classmates. But the school board decided Wednesday that she can't participate in graduation and still be eligible for work-training services, for which the disabled are entitled until they turn 21.

"I worked my butt off in school every single day," said Booth, who wants to work in a nursing home and assist the elderly. "I get A's and B's in everything. I should be part of it; all my peers and friends are a part of it."

Booth and her parents had hoped for a compromise: She'd walk across the stage and be handed a certificate of completion instead of a diploma, preserving her right to free transitional training. But officials at the La Grange school have said it's a diploma or nothing. And if it's a diploma, she forfeits the training money.

Schools across the state allow disabled students to accept a certificate of completion in graduation ceremonies. It's a practice recommended by the Illinois State Board of Education.

"What we normally encourage districts to do is to allow students with disabilities to participate in graduation ceremonies even though they remain eligible for [training] services," said Karen Craven, spokeswoman for the state board. "We recommend to parents that they don't take the diploma."

Ultimately, it is a school's decision whether to award a certificate of completion. In the past, said members of the Lyons Township District 204 board, parents of disabled students either paid for the training after accepting a diploma--an estimated $4,000 a year--or had the child wait to complete services paid for by the district before participating in graduation.

Making an exception for Booth would mean treating her differently because she is disabled, district officials say, and would set a bad precedent.

"If you look at the word `graduation' in the dictionary, it's commencement, it's the end, it's the last thing you do in high school," said Supt. Dennis Kelly. "Graduation isn't a social event. It's the ending of a student's high school career."

Although Booth will be enrolled at Lyons Township High School next year, her mother, Kim, says she will not set foot on campus. She will spend mornings at the Technology Center of DuPage and afternoons at a work-study program organized by the school.

"We're asking for an accommodation, no doubt about it, but I don't think it's unreasonable and I don't think harm can come to others," her mother said. "It's important for her. How can I not push the issue?"

If Booth opts not to receive her diploma, the district will pay $4,000 a year for her classes at the Technology Center and cover transportation to her off-campus work site. The district also will provide her with a job coach, a school staffer paid with district and state funds.

Those costs "never even entered into the discussion" about her graduation, Kelly said.

Students at the school are signing a petition in support of Booth, and several residents have sent letters to administrators.

"I don't know why they won't let her walk. It's just appalling," said senior Bridget Doyle, 17. "They try and treat the special-education kids as normally as possible, but they're really not getting the same treatment."

But school board members say fairness to the district's 3,700 students was at the forefront of the difficult decision.

After consulting with a community advisory council and a special-education task force, the board determined it would be changing the rules to accommodate Booth's disability. Members said that would go against what parents of special-education students have supported for years.

They also said that making an exception would open the door for more requests to deviate from policy and eventually could split the graduation ceremony between students getting diplomas and those receiving certificates of completion.

"The Board of Education is not prepared to water down our commencement exercise, because this issue would never be dead," said Mark Pera, board president. "I know we are going to take a public relations hit for this stance, but this is a matter of principle for us."

The decision to participate or not lies with Booth's parents, he said, because the board is not barring her from the ceremony. If her parents are willing to pay for her post-graduation services, the district would be proud to have Booth walk with her 847 classmates, he said.

Kim Booth said the ruling is hard to accept because several neighboring districts give certificates of completion to special-education students who request them. Two years ago, a Neuqua Valley High School student with Down syndrome received a certificate and was chosen by his peers to deliver the graduation address.

"Our theory is that [graduation] is part of the transition," said Judy Hackett, assistant superintendent for student services at Indian Prairie School District 204, in which the Naperville school is located.

Down syndrome is a chromosomal defect that causes varying degrees of mental retardation. Educators stress that children with the condition are capable of learning, although school is more challenging.

Booth is a giggly teenager who has made the honor roll multiple times while performing on the school's competitive dance team and participating in soccer leagues and Girl Scouts. She proudly displays a blue T-shirt emblazoned with "Seniors 2004" and has been eagerly awaiting graduation festivities.

Until now, district officials have been receptive to the family's concerns and aided in their daughter's success, Kim Booth said.

"We stayed here so she'd be with all of these people," Booth said. "But our window of opportunity is really quite short, so I'm not holding my breath that the decision will change."
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune

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AJ and anyone else who was curious about this story. Good news. Good outcome. Everyone friends.

I was hoping it would come to this.

Disabled Teen Allowed to Graduate

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Disabled teen allowed to graduate
Lyons Township High alters policy

By Grace Aduroja
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 4, 2004

Thanks to a proposed state law drafted Thursday in response to her situation, Brittany Booth will be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies Sunday with her Lyons Township High School classmates after all.

"I was so shocked," said Booth, 18, who has Down syndrome. "I was screaming and then yelling."

Officials at the La Grange school originally told Booth that if she participated, she would receive a diploma, which would signify she was finished with her schooling and therefore forfeiting district funding for training services legally guaranteed to the disabled until age 21.

The Illinois State Board of Education recommends that students who have satisfied graduation requirements--as Booth has--receive a certificate of completion instead of a diploma at graduation. Schools across the state follow this practice so that students with disabilities can celebrate with their classmates and continue to receive funding for transitional services.

But members of the Lyons Township High School District 204 Board ruled against that practice May 26, saying they didn't want to treat Booth differently because she was disabled or dilute the graduation ceremony by handing out certificates.

The board said Booth could participate in commencement when she was ready to terminate her district-provided educational services--which could have been three years after students that Booth has known since preschool were graduated.

But administrators reversed their decision Thursday after state Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) informed them that a law was being drafted requiring school boards to adopt a policy that allows students with disabilities who have the required credits to participate in graduation ceremonies.

Whether those students receive a diploma or a certificate will be up to individual districts "as long as services aren't terminated," said Radogno, adding that the law could be enacted before the end of the year.

As a result, District 204 officials decided to overturn their previous ruling and allow students who qualify for graduation under the proposed law--about 10 in the west suburban district this year--to participate in Sunday's commencement exercise and receive a diploma.

"If it's going to be a law in 30 days, why not now?" said Supt. Dennis Kelly, explaining why the district reversed its ruling. "As an act of good faith, we're going to issue a diploma. ... We're very, very happy. We just think it's a very good resolution."

The proposed law, which may be named after Booth and will be filed within the next few days, is modeled on a similar Pennsylvania statute. Radogno said reaction from several parents, residents and fellow legislators propelled her and advocates for the disabled to look into drafting the law.

"I don't think we're going to have any trouble passing the legislature at all," said Radogno, whose children attended school with Booth and were incensed when they heard about her situation. "The board feels somewhat relieved to have the situation clarified, so it ends up being a win-win for everyone," she said.

"Today we're jumping around screaming," said Booth's mother, Kim. "We're just ordinary people, and this is an extraordinary thing. My kids saw the community helping to support [changing] something that was wrong."

Now, Brittany Booth will be able remove the wrapping from the royal blue cap and gown that hangs in her closet.

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I'm enough of an optimist to take the statements of the board member and the superintendant at face value. I think this district was pretty supportive of Brittany and her family and that the situation they faced was one everyone wanted resolved in a satisfactory way.

I'll keep this story to remind myself it's not always my lowest expectations that come to pass.

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