Yearbook brings all of the highschool memories, how we looked then and what we did. Whether we looked silly or cool, that photo is there forever. Yearbook is a special tradition in high school and I suppose that every teen looks forward to seeing their picture on the book at the end of the school year.
Now imagine yourself being left out of the yearbook?! This is a horrible thing, especially if it’s done by a school.
Claudia DeFabio shared on Facebook that her sister, Glenda, was “intentionally” left out of the Watchung Hills Regional High School yearbook this school year.
“While the faculty and staff who teach her and her classmates every day were acknowledged, Glenda was not,” she wrote.
“Everyone in the special education department was acknowledged: except the students.”
DeFabio wrote that her mother previously needed to sign a media release for her sister, who has special needs, but she was never notified about any issue with the yearbook.
“Imagine the heartbreak my mother felt having to explain to my sister why she wasn’t in the yearbook. And Glenda not being able to understand how she was seen as different than her general education classmates.”
DeFabio said she was sharing the high school’s “inexcusable” oversight because students like her sister are often unable to speak up for themselves.
Within hours she post received thousands of comments and shares. Her family also heard from school officials who apologized and said they would send out a supplemental yearbook that included Glenda and her classmates.
“We are investigating what occurred and are currently looking to see if any other un-intentional omissions were made. We intend to carefully review our processes to avoid any erroneous omissions in the future,” Elizabeth C. Jewett, superintendent of the school district, said in a statement, according to News 12 New Jersey.
“And finally, since the 2,500+ students and faculty didn’t get the honor of seeing Glenda’s yearbook photo, at least the internet can.”
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3251412914922853&set=a.3251414394922705&type=3&theater
Congratulations, Glenda! It’s absolutely horrible what the school did by leaving out your photo, but you have an amazing sister who stood up for you.
Hopefully this serves as a lesson not only for your high school, but for others.
Share this if you believe everyone should be included in their high school yearbook.
