UPDATE: The day after this story aired, David Scholtz was contacted by Bullitt East High School and told that he would be allowed to walk in his graduation.
Below is the original story:
SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Bullitt East High School student David Scholtz has his cap and gown ready to go, but he won't be getting his diploma with his classmates this Sunday.
Scholtz is a senior at the Bullitt Virtual Learning Academy.
On Tuesday, the student woke up with back pain and said he decided to go to his chiropractor before graduation rehearsal. Scholtz said he goes so often his chiropractor told him he doesn't need to make appointments and can just come by whenever he is in pain.
"My back was in a lot of pain, so I just had to go. I did not think I was going to be able to actually stand and sit down at school the whole day," said Scholtz.
Scholtz said Brownsboro Road Chiropractic is typically open when he goes in the morning by 9 a.m. and sometimes earlier by 8:30. However on Tuesday, Scholtz said they were closed in the morning and didn't open until later in the day.
When Scholtz realized he would be late to graduation practice, he called the school's front office.
"They said I could still come, as long as I had my note," said Scholtz.
He said he was told his name hadn't been read at rehearsal yet, and he still had time to make it to the walkthrough.
"As I was excited to come up here and bring them my note and still walk the line with everyone else, they called me as I'm almost here saying I can't walk the line anymore," he said.
Scholtz said he even spoke to the school's principal directly but was still told he wouldn't be allowed to walk.
The student said he was surprised to be denied because he had been present at the first graduation rehearsal, during which he claims the students "did not rehearse one time."
The senior said one of the reasons he's the most upset is because his family won't be able to watch him graduate.
"It's going to be sad. I actually had my brother, he's in the U.S. Marines. He was planning on Facetiming me because he's out of state serving for us. He can't do that anymore, and I have people coming out of the city to come and watch me graduate, and they can't do that anymore," he said.
Scholtz continued stating, "It sucks. Policy is policy, but I believe I should still be able to go. Since I didn't show up, I guess if that's their rule they can just not allow me to go, but I have a bunch of people on my side supporting that they should let me go."
One of those supports is his coworker Eddie Hill.
Hill described Scholtz as a "great kid" adding that "he's always willing to lend a hand to anybody who needs help with anything."
"You don't find very many young people his age that work the way he does," said Hill. "I think all these kids, along with COVID and everything that has happened with these kids the last few years and with his brother being overseas in the military and going to watch his brother walk the line, that upsets me."
Hill is also a former Bullitt East student. He said he believes it is wrong to deny Scholtz and his family the ability to celebrate graduation.
"Shame on Bullitt East. Shame on them for doing what they're doing to this young man," he expressed.
Bullitt County Public Schools Superintendent Jesse Bacon told WDRB News students are notified about the mandatory graduation practices in the beginning of the school year.
According to Bacon, the only time a student would be excused for missing practice is if they notified the school in advance and provided a doctors note, which he claimed Scholtz did not do. Bacon said with over 400 graduates, the school has already practiced and has set the order of the names called, so changes to allow Scholtz to participate would disrupt everyone else.
Bacon also stated Scholtz is not the only student who won't be walking this weekend. He didn't have the exact number of the other students who are also not walking at graduation. Bacon says Scholtz is not the only one.
Graduation is set for 7 p.m. Sunday, June 4 at Broadbent Arena.
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