No Diploma for Deceased Student at Graduation, Shelton High School Decides

SHELTON, CT - Shelton High School will not award a posthumous diploma to the parents of deceased student Eddy Conklin during graduation next month, officials have decided.

They do not want Conklin, who died in a car accident in February, to overshadow the ceremony, but the school plans to award the diploma during a smaller, separate event, reports Fox61 News.

However, that plan is not sitting well with Conklin's parents and other members of the community, who are angered by the school's decision. Conklin's parents have discussed their desire to have Eddy's name read aloud at graduation, but so far school and Board of Education officials are sticking to the idea of the smaller event to honor him.

A petition on Change.org is seeking to reverse the school's decision.

"Sometimes we need to put politics and policy aside and do what is right," wrote Peggy Camp, who started the Change.org petition. "Setting a precedent to honor someone's child will never be the wrong thing to do."

Click here to view the petition on Change.org, and here to read the full story on the Fox61 website.

Photo: Eddy Conklin. Photo credit: Change.org