Teen who died of cancer now allowed to be honored at graduation after policy exception
AMERICAN FORK, Utah (ABC4) — Two years ago, Samantha Corey was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.
While going through many cancer treatments, Samantha continued on through school and met the requirements to graduate. She was supposed to be graduating from American Fork High School this month, but passed away from the cancer in January.
Courtesy: Destiny Jensen Courtesy: Family of Samantha Corey Courtesy: Family of Samantha Corey Courtesy: Destiny Jensen
Her family wanted to walk at what would have been her graduation ceremony and receive her diploma in her honor, but were initially told they wouldn’t be able to. After a few days, the Alpine School District made an exception to policies that were in place.
Kimberly Corey, Samantha’s mom, said graduating was a big goal of Samantha’s.
“We had come up with some plans of what we wanted to do at a graduation and were talking to the school about it too and we all thought it was going to be a possibility,” Kimberly said. “A lot of other cancer kids that pass away when they’re seniors or even when they’re a little bit younger will still be able to have something to do with graduation, whether it be the whole family walks or one of the siblings or the parents or something.”
Ahead of the policy exception, Kimberly said she was told they could not have Samantha’s name be read and that no one could walk in her place due to district policy.
“A lot of friends and classmates have gone through this journey with her for years and we wanted them to have a way to be able to mourn this as well,” Kimberly said. “We are trying to come up with other things that they can do to get through this milestone healthily.”
Kimberly said they are trying to be creative, as they just want the students to have a positive memory of graduation — of the girl who fought through high school with them.
“I don’t want it to be negative or stressful, I want it to be like ‘this was a good way we celebrated our friend,'” she said.
What the school district said
Days after Samantha’s family reached out to ABC4.com, Alpine School District issued a new statement allowing an exception for her family.
The district said its policy on student memorials “was put to the test” with the case of Samantha.
“School administrators have historically applied the policy about student memorials to graduation ceremonies. We also have procedures in place for administrators to request exceptions to policy,” the district’s statement said. “This morning the District Leadership Team reviewed and approved an exception in this case.”
The district’s statement clarified that Samantha will now be recognized at the school’s ceremonies toward the end of May. The statement also said policies are in place to “effectively administer” programs throughout the district.
“We are grateful to our high school administrators who so effectively and passionately advocate for their schools,” the statement said. “We look forward to celebrating the accomplishment of Samantha and all of our other remarkable students who have achieved so much.”
The district’s original response
Initially, Alpine School District sent ABC4.com the following statement:
As students across Alpine School District celebrate graduation from high school, we are mindful that some students tragically pass before they and their families get to experience that milestone.
Plans for graduation ceremonies are guided by district policy. Decisions about specific plans reflect our sincere desire to appropriately balance the need to remember those who have passed and the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishment of all graduates. We realize that not allowing for certain types of memorials during graduation ceremonies may cause additional pain for those closest to students who have passed. Our school administrators have the difficult responsibility of leading with compassion and empathy to help their school community process loss within the guidelines of policy.
Our hearts go out to the family of any student who passes away and recognize that a student death impacts our entire school community in complex ways. As we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating students this Spring, we are also reminded of the significance of each life.
Alpine School District
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