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The superintendent of a Mississippi school system is not backing down after issuing four disturbing the peace arrest warrants for people who cheered at a high school graduation.
Jay Foster, Senatobia Schools superintendent, said in an interview with Fox13 that over the past few years, the yelling and screaming at graduation has become too disruptive, and made the ceremony unbearable.
“They yelled out and they excessively celebrated during the calling of names,” Foster said. “Once they heard their graduates' names called, they celebrated that.”
Four people were asked to leave graduation after they cheered too loudly. Foster then filed disturbing the peace complaints and warrants have been issued. The four individuals are due in court on June 9.
Parent Henry Walker, who waved a towel and shouted, “You did it baby!” to his daughter, said, “It’s crazy. The fact that I might have to bond out of jail, pay court costs, or a $500 fine for expressing my love, it’s ridiculous man. It’s ridiculous.”
Foster said attendees at the ceremony were given plenty of warning about the no cheering policy. The second page of the program states what type of behavior is acceptable and not acceptable.
“We read through the graduation program, the warning is undeniable,” he said.
The backlash against Foster has been swift, with many people taking to Twitter and other social media to blame racism for the treatment of the four individuals. However, Foster says two of the people removed from graduation and issued warrants are black and two are white.
He does not feel the arrest warrants are too harsh.
“When you make a conscious decision to disrupt that for that individual, what is too harsh?,” he asked.
