Family Slams School After Dancing Student Denied Diploma

A Philadelphia high school has set social media ablaze after video of a graduation ceremony showed a student being denied her diploma after dancing across the stage, causing many to condemn the strict administration’s so-called traditions.

“[The principal] said, ‘You’re not getting your diploma because you made the crowd chuckle,’” graduating senior Hafsa Abdul-Rahman said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia High School for Girls, a 175-year-old institution with a lengthy list of notable alumnae, has strict guidelines and customs its students must follow. According to the school’s handbook, graduating students must wear “an all-white knee length, or longer, dress with a cap sleeve” during the ceremony. Students can also wear a white pantsuit, and white shoes must be closed-toe with no more than a 3-inch heel. Traditionally, the graduates also carry flowers. Any student who violates the graduation guidelines may be kept from participating in the ceremony.

Read more at The Daily Beast.