On Friday, May 17th, Mrs. Jamie Doster of Greenfield High School in Greenfield, Tennessee blatantly segregated and discriminated against disabled students at their high school graduation. 

My cousin Kennedy, along with two other students, were directly affected by Mrs. Doster’s decisions. Kennedy has a condition called POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) that affects her heart rate, causing fainting spells. She uses a wheelchair on occasion as a precaution to ensuring her safety in case she falls during a spell and hurts herself. However, she has perfect mobility and does not require her wheelchair 24/7. 

Mrs. Doster told these students that they would be forced to sit separate from their classmates and would have to sit farther away on bleachers in the crowd, being overlooked and singled out from the others. Not only were they not allowed to sit with other students, they were also prohibited from walking with the rest of their classmates at procession and they did not get to walk alone on stage. 

Despite having a doctors approval, Mrs. Doster continued with this plan and told the girls that they would not be allowed to participate if they did not comply. When Kennedy tried to fight it, she was threatened with the withholding of her diploma for “misconduct”. 

Not only were Mrs. Doster’s actions unethical, there were also a deliberate violation of these students constitutional rights to have a fair and equitable ceremony. Students with disabilities, as per the law, have a right to equal opportunities just as much as students without disabilities. Ableism and discrimination has absolutely NO place in our schools and our country. 

We, the undersigned, call on the Director of Schools Jeff Cupples for the immediate termination of Mrs. Jamie Doster as principal, as well as ensuring better policies are in place to protect students with disabilities. We must guarantee that all students are treated with respect and dignity, regardless of disability status.