Over the past several days there has been a great deal of talk - and several letters to the editor and editorials in these pages - concerning the events surrounding Scotland High Schools’ graduation exercises last Friday and there are a number of facts that need to be clarified.

First, school administrators did in fact speak to parents at the high school Friday after graduation. Executive Director of Secondary Education Myra Holloway addressed the crowd and informed them that diplomas could be picked up on Monday. It was at that point that a few parents began directing threatening and offensive language at Holloway and school principals and per Scotland County Board of Education Policy 5021 - Civility of Parents, Spectators, Other Visitors and School Employees, the school administrators ended those conversations.

Second, the parents and others who came to the A.B. Gibson Center were given the opportunity to meet with Scotland County Schools Associate Superintendent Dr. Susan Chase and Assistant Superintendent Stuart Blount and voice their concerns. This meeting lasted approximately 20 minutes. After the meeting, a number of them refused to leave the building and were being disruptive. It was at that time that the Laurinburg Police Department was called and asked the crowd that was assembled in the lobby of the building to leave.

Finally, the word policy was used a number of times in the Laurinburg Exchange article and in subsequent conversation. This may seem like a semantic argument, but the decision of the school to keep students’ diplomas was an administrative procedure laid out by the school administration and communicated through the school system’s AlertNow notification system, through students at the graduation practice and reiterated numerous times at the graduation ceremony. It was not board of education policy.

It was always our intention to have a dignified and respectful commencement exercise at Scotland High School with the ultimate goal of having every student’s name heard by every loved one in attendance. That will remain our goal.

We are always working to make all programs, practices and procedures better. Commencement at the Scotland High Schools is no different. Moving forward, there are a number of changes and adjustments that can be made to make graduation better and we look forward to working with faculty, staff, students, parents and the community to this end.

Cagle is Community-Schools Coordinator for Scotland County Schools