‘The principal did not act with malice, selfishness or without compassion’: Lee Co. Schools superintendent issues statement on students’ prom decision

LEESBURG, Ga. (WALB) - Lee County Schools’ top educator is responding to criticism over a decision to initially not let two students attend prom.

Superintendent Dr. Jason Miller issued a statement after two students were originally not able to attend prom after missing too many days of school because of medical battles. The two students were able to go to prom after Lee County High School reversed its stance just hours before prom.

Miller said the situation “brought unfair blame and criticism on the high school principal” and that several have posted to social media “over information that is incorrect and incomplete.”

The principal, Miller pointed out, acted according to state guidelines and that several factors go into whether students can participate in extracurricular activities.

“The principal did not act with malice, selfishness, or without compassion. Rather, she was following the procedures set forth for the situation at hand,” Miller said. “Social media can be an effective tool to enhance and promote communication, but it can also be a place where scurrilous claims are spread about people. I encourage all to be careful in posting without knowing the whole story.”

Carrie Hutchinson, the executive director of Cancer Ties, believes in this case and helped bring change. Hutchinson wants parents in the county to feel emboldened to speak out about any issue they may have

“Social media could be a good tool to make people aware of situations in instances you don’t agree with. Step up and see if changes can be made,’ Hutchinson said.

Commentators on WALB’s Facebook page had this to say about the incident:

“I would like common sense to find it’s way back into leadership. I would like to see leadership that advocated for their kids more and look to punish innocent kids less. I’d like to see an administration that was transparent and fair, not to mention honest.”

Another read:

“And of course, this principal was not going to “bend” the rules at all. Such a shame. There’s a time and a place to enforce rules. She should have used common sense.”

WALB is waiting for the school’s response to a few questions:

If the principal followed state guidelines, why was the decision reversed? Why was the decision not reversed until the actual day of the prom? Ultimately, who reversed the decision?

We will update you with more on this story as we receive it.

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