Student with leukemia denied walking with classmates at graduation

An Arizona high school student who is a couple credits shy of qualifying for graduation because of his battle with cancer is being prohibited from participating in his class' graduation ceremony.

And the decision is drawing harsh criticism.

"I never asked to receive a diploma and I'm even OK with not walking across that stage or having my name called,"Stephen Dwyer wrote in a Facebook post. "I just want to be a part of the ceremony as one of my peers would."

Dwyer, the student body president at Dobson High School, was forced to withdraw in his junior year in order to undergo a life-saving bone marrow transplant after he was diagnosed with leukemia. He was just 2.5 credits short of graduation.

When Dwyer asked school officials if he could take part in the ceremony, they refused and later defended their stance.

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“Each year, the district has a number of students who due to their personal hardships have not earned the minimum number of credits required to graduate,” Mesa Public Schools spokeswoman Helen Hollands said in a written statement. “These students do not participate in a graduation ceremony before earning a diploma.”

But Dwyer’s fellow students stood by his side, condemning the school for not showing the slightest bit of compassion for a leukemia survivor.

“They say it’s a matter of policy, but they should be able to make decisions based on circumstances,” said student council member Jacob Martinez. “And this is a perfect circumstance to allow him to do that.”

Cox Media Group