A Philadelphia principal was fired from her job for withholding the diplomas of three high-school students during their graduation ceremony. Lisa Mensi was the principal of Philadelphia High School for Girls who went viral for restraining high school girls from celebrating while getting their graduation diplomas.
Philadelphia Principal Withholds Students’ High School Diplomas
Philadelphia High School for Girls’ Principal, Lisa Mesi was in the news for her controversial actions of refusing to hand over diplomas to the students at their graduation. A student named Hafsah Abdur-Rahman was left embarrassed at the ceremony when she danced while making her way to get her diploma certificate. The principal refused to give Rahman her diploma and was asked to leave the stage. Mesi had reportedly warned the students to follow a set of protocols during the ceremony. While denying Rahman her diploma, Mesi told her-
“You’re not getting your diploma because you made the crowd chuckle.”
However, Rahman felt that it was unfair. She told 6abc Philadelphia,
“If they thought that I shouldn’t do ‘The Griddy’ [dance] across the stage and do the Girls’ High traditions, nobody should have been able to wave or blow kisses or do period signs because I feel like that’s the same thing.
“I feel like that’s unfair.”
She also added how the Philadelphia principal “stole the moment” from her and that she will “never get it back.” Certainly, graduating high school is a once-in-a-lifetime event for every student. Apart from Rahman, two other students were denied their high school diplomas on stage as well. However, these students were given their diplomas later.
While Mesi’s gesture was heavily criticised by people online, some former students of the school spoke highly of the Philadelphia principal. They issued a statement that read-
“We are fortunate to have her shepherding our alma mater through incredibly difficult years – through city – wide budget cuts, policy changes and a global pandemic that magnified every obstacle the faculty, administration and our dear little sisters have faced.
Statement by the School District of Philadelphia
Following the outrage by the media and students for being treated unfairly and having denied their diplomas on-stage, Philadelphia’s School District issued the following statement.
“The District does not condone the withholding of earned diplomas based on family members cheering for their graduates. We apologize to all the families and graduates who were impacted and are further looking into this matter to avoid it happening in the future.”
Additionally, the School District Associate Superintendant, Tomas Hanna reported that they have found a temporary replacement for the Philadelphia principal.
“Dr. Butler is excited to support the school community to help set the stage for a successful 2023-2024 school year.”
“While this is the only information I can share at this time, I am committed to providing updates as additional information becomes available.”
