Petition calls for principal’s termination after graduation incident

GREENFIELD, Tenn. — It’s a day where, normally, the students are the center of attention, however, three Greenfield High School students say they believe they were purposefully kept out of the spotlight.

We spoke to one of those three students, Kennedy Lee, who told us she suffers from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and functional neurological disorder, causing her to faint at certain triggers.

Lee claims Greenfield High School’s Principal, Jamie Doster, told her it was a safety concern to walk across stage at graduation despite a letter from a physician stating she was able to.

“I genuinely think it was more about her image. She cared more about her image than her students,” said Lee.

Lee also told us Doster allegedly told her, along with two other students, to sit in the bleachers instead of on the floor with the rest of the graduating class.

“It was just very embarrassing. I just felt emotional throughout the whole thing. You know? Why do I not deserve to be out there,” said Lee.

Lee says she and her family were hesitant to stand their ground on the issue in days ahead of graduation due to an alleged threat by the principal.

“She told us that if we didn’t like the way she planned it, we could do it her way or not participate at all,” said Lee.

Lee claims the school has a history of ignoring those with disabilities.

She recalled a time in her junior year where she says she and another student were allegedly treated differently.

“We spent our entire junior year in a closet with our nurse. We did not have a classroom to stay in,” said Lee.

After graduation, one of Lee’s relatives created a petition, calling for principal Doster to be removed from her position.

It has since garnered more than 1, 300 signatures.

We reached out to the Weakley County Board of Education who said in a statement:

“All of Weakley County Schools’ graduation ceremonies are planned to ensure the safety of all participants. Additionally, upholding student privacy and confidentiality is a fundamental priority and responsibility of our district. While we respect public interest, privacy and confidentiality precludes discussion of personal information about students.”

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