A high school graduation in Philadelphia is making headlines for the wrong reasons: Hafsah Abdul-Rahman, 18, danced across the stage after her name was called at Philadelphia High School for Girls, and the principal then refused to hand over her diploma because of the display, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The school has strict rules and warned students to tell their families not to cheer or shout at their big moment. Hafsah's family apparently were silent, but her performance of the "Griddy dance" elicited laughter from the audience. “She said, ‘You’re not getting your diploma because you made the crowd chuckle," Hafsah says of principal Lisa Mesi. (Watch the uncomfortable moment via this video from 6ABC Philadelphia.)
The incident has made national headlines, and Mesi has not commented. Hafsah did receive her diploma after the ceremony, as did three other girls who also were denied them in the moment because they made displays of some sort (in one case, a hair flip), per Fox29. Even though she eventually received her diploma, Hafsah remains upset about what she calls a humiliating moment. "She stole that moment from me," the teen tells 6ABC, referring to the principal. "I will never get that again." It appears the city school district is on the teen's side.
"The District does not condone the withholding of earned diplomas based on family members cheering for their graduates," it said in a statement, per USA Today. "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." However, the Inquirer talks to one alum who isn't as sympathetic. "This is the school she picked," said Dana Hunt. "We’ve got to stop giving our babies outs. When we don’t hold them to standards or hold them accountable for what they do, then they will continue to do whatever they want out in these streets.” (More Philadelphia stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
