North Carolina high school student Rachel Rosoff, 17, was killed last September when she was electrocuted and drowned at the pool where she worked as a lifeguard.
Now, her family and friends are fighting to have her memory honoured during the graduation ceremony she was meant to be a part of at William G. Enloe Magnet High School.
Rachel’s high school is refusing to acknowledge her death at her class’ graduation ceremony. Post continues after video.
According to a petition started by Rachel’s sister, Jordana, the school believes honouring her memory will “cause sadness and bring people down on a day that is suppose to be celebratory”.
"Rachel was a part of the Enloe Family and was looking forward to her senior year and could not wait to graduate and continue the next chapter of her life," her sister wote.
"[The high school] want to pretend she did not exist, which not only hurts me, but my family and her friends. This is so hurtful and wrong.
"I just want my sister to be recognised and acknowledged for the beautiful, goofy, funny, carefree, caring person she was."
Rachel's mother, Michelle, told BuzzFeed News the family aren't looking for any memorial to be focused on the way that she died. Instead, they want to focus on the promising student's life.
In an email written to Michelle about the matter, the school's principal said they were refraining from any type of memorial at the graduation so the ceremony would maintain a "happy, vibrant feel".
"Thank you for advocating for Rachel and her memory...this season must be especially difficult for you and your family," the email reads.
"Because Graduation is meant to be a ceremony for students' accomplishments and a celebration thereof, we want to ensure that the ceremony maintains a happy, vibrant feel.
"A memorial of a lost/loved one has potential to cause students (or others) to react in ways that would take trained professionals (i.e. counselors) to support."
Rachel's friends disagree with the principal's argument.
"I think we are old enough to be okay and understand what is going on," friend Alissa Brasington told WRAL News.
"I think we'll be okay if they mention her. It will actually be better than if they don't mention her."
Rachel's best friend, Victoria Ward, said the bigger sadness would be not including her friend's memory in the graduation ceremony at all.
"She should be there with us," she told ABC 11.
Top Comments
The school really can't win in this situation. The Principal has asked his superiors permission to do this and been denied- why? Because the district worries that it could be harmful to other students. So now the poor Principal and staff get to front all these people hurling condemnation and at times, abuse.
I'd like you to run through, in your head, what you think would happen if a student suicided as a result of this, and it came out that the school had known there was a risk to their students, and proceeded anyway? Oh, those lawsuits and that condemnation would be flying thick and fast.
You all have to remember that schools legally can't comment in any detail or identify that any students, let alone which students, may be at risk. You don't know what's going on in that school, and you never will, because the school must obey privacy rules. They've just gotta stand there, and take your crap, even if you don't actually know what you're talking about.
If there was additional evidence, strong evidence mind you, not just "Well 3 years ago in the next state over they did xxxxxx" , then that would be different. But just on the basis of this info, I find this to be a borderline witchhunt.
There's nothing saying this mother couldn't organise a simple, post graduation ceremony in a local park. I understand this is an extremely distressing time for the family. But this is an absolute damned if you do, damned if you don't situation for the school, and the rest of us, who can take a step back, need to chill out and calm down instead of calling to arms.
A baby photo and a school photo would be beautiful and appropriate to show at the slideshow presentation with all the other student's photos.
This is what the school did for my daughter, as she passed away the year she would have graduated. The school and my daughter's fellow classmates wanted to include her and they made sure they did.
They would not leave her out. My daughter was there with them in spirit.