Students denied diplomas during graduation ceremony for apparently violating the rules; now principal who enforced rules has been replaced

Some students were denied their diplomas during a high school graduation ceremony in Philadelphia after they apparently violated some of the established rules regarding graduation decorum. Now the principal who enforced those rules has been at least "temporarily replaced."

On June 9, the Philadelphia High School for Girls, the only all-girl public school in the city, held its commencement ceremony for the class of 2023. Before the event, prospective graduates were informed that they and their families and friends had to abide by certain rules during the ceremony. After hearing their names announced, candidates would then be allowed to walk — and only walk — across the stage to receive their diploma. During that time, their families and friends sitting in the audience would not be permitted to clap, cheer, or call out the graduate's name.

Unfortunately, some students and members of the audience appeared to have violated some of those rules. Rather than simply walking, Hafsah Abdur-Rahman silently performed a dance known as the Griddy. She later told reporters that she performed the dance in honor of her late sister, who was fatally shot in 2014 when she was just 15 years old. Before the dance, she also signaled to the crowd to remain silent during her brief performance, but the gesture and the dance prompted ripples of laughter from the crowd.

After Abdur-Rahman reached the end of the stage, she went to receive the diploma, which was in the hands of principal Lisa Mesi. However, Mesi refused to give Abdur-Rahman the diploma and instead instructed her to return to her seat, a command that Abdur-Rahman obeyed.

Someone captured the incident on video, which then went viral on social media. The video can be seen beginning around the 0:55 mark of the report from Fox 29 Philadelphia below:

Abdur-Rahman later expressed anger and confusion that she had been denied her diploma during the ceremony. "She stole that moment from me," Abur-Rahman said of Mesi. "I will never get that again."

"I understood the rules because I was saying 'shh' in the video. Do not say nothing because I want my diploma," she continued. "I knew and understood what we were supposed to do."

Another graduate, Saleemah Burch, was also frustrated to be denied her diploma after she appeared to flip her hair and make a hand gesture which looked like she was pointing to the sky with her index finger. Her mother and brother also stood up in the audience and raised their hands as they watched Burch walk across the stage. "No one made a noise," Delsa Burch, Saleemah's mother, insisted.

In all, four young women were reportedly denied their diplomas during the ceremony for infractions of decorum. However, all four received their diplomas after the ceremony ended.

After clips of the ceremony went viral on social media, the Philadelphia School District issued a statement distancing itself from Mesi's actions during the ceremony. "The District does not condone the withholding of earned diplomas based on family members cheering for their graduates," the statement said. "We apologize to all the families and graduates who were impacted and are further looking into this matter to avoid it happening in the future."

Now, district associate superintendent Tomás Hanna has announced that Mesi has been "temporarily replaced." In a letter to parents, Hanna said that PHSG would undergo a "temporary change in leadership" and that Mesi, who has helmed the school since 2019, would be "temporarily replaced" by Janis Butler.

The school website still lists Mesi as the principal, and Butler has been given the title "substitute principal." District spokesperson Monique Braxton did not clarify whether Mesi stepped back of her own accord or was asked to do so. Whether Mesi will return to the school is unclear.

Though many in the community and on social media have slammed Mesi for enforcing the graduation rules, she did receive support from the school's alumnae association, which released a statement:

The Alumnae Association and our Board of Directors fully support Principal Mesi. She is a compassionate leader and outspoken advocate for our little sisters. We are fortunate to have her shepherding our alma mater through incredibly difficult years – through city-wide budget cuts, policy changes and a global pandemic that magnified every obstacle the faculty, administration and our dear little sisters have faced. The current media tempest regarding the temporary withholding of a diploma to a few students during the June 9, 2023, graduation ceremony is headline-grabbing and click bait. It does not reflect in any way the overall tone and tenor of the day.

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