The Pluperfect Crime

Salutatorian looses diploma over freedom of speech dispute with principal/school board

Whiting, Indiana
June 9, 2002

  
 


A Whiting High School senior had her diploma quietly removed from it holder minutes after delivering a graduation speech that alternately denounced discrimination and presented fanciful awards to popular teachers. Whiting High school principal Dirk Flick replaced the diploma of class Salutatorian Caitlin Mills-Groninger with a two-sentence form letter. The diploma-holder and form letter were then presented by Whiting School Board member Anthony Borgo to Ms. Mills-Groninger as she followed her classmates through the graduation line. Ms. Mills-Groninger is the daughter of WhitingCommunity.com publisher Tim Mills-Groninger.

Whiting Superintendent of Schools Sandra Martinez later explained that Ms. Mills-Groninger violated school policy by deviating from the approved manuscript. School policy requires that all speeches by graduating seniors be approved in the final weeks of the school year. The printed speeches are then stored in the podium prior to the graduation ceremony. Rumors in the school during the final week of classes that Ms. Mills-Groninger might change her speech prompted Principal Flick to confront the senior and make her promise to "stick to the speech."

"He didn't give me any reason why I had to stick to the speech, and the only threat that he made was that if I didn't promise he wouldn't let me speak," recounted the 18 year old. "I thought that he would unplug the microphone or something, so I wasn't that surprised when I got back to my seat and saw that I didn't have the diploma." Ms. Mills-Groninger went on "I knew that humor is discouraged in student speeches, and I wanted the awards to be a surprise" Ms. Mills-Groninger worked with several other students to create a series of awards and accompanying certificates.

One of the awards referred to a famous physics problem that asks student to determine if a bullet shot at a monkey would hit the animal if it were fired at the exact instance the simian jumped from its tree. The certificate, entitled "Monkey Hunting License" was present to physics teacher John Sorota. The "Pain in the Asymptote" award was given to math teacher Paul Laub. An asymptote is a mathematical term involving the termination of parabolas. The certificates were smuggled in under Ms. Mills-Groninger's gown.

The printed form letter that replaced the diploma reads "Dear Student, Please be advised your diploma has been pulled from the packet. Your parents will need to schedule a meeting with the school administration to discuss our concerns and the matter of issuance of your diploma."

Ms. Mills-Groninger's parents, Susan and Tim Mills-Groninger of Whiting, spoke with school officials immediately after the ceremony, including Superintendent Martinez, Principal Flick, and newly elected School Board President Mary Fetsis, but all refused to release the diploma. "Dr. Martinez and Ms. Fetsis said it was Mr. Flick's decision, and he was absolutely intractable on the matter. Mr. Flick had called me at my work on Friday, so I was also suspicious that something was going to happen" explained Mr. Mills-Groninger. He went on to say that "His relationship with my daughter was strained, and I think he was looking for a way to punish her independence. But when his petty and arbitrary interpretation of policy conflicts with my daughter's first amendment right to free speech, I think rights ought to trump policy. It was cowardly to remove her diploma then pretend that nothing was wrong"

Part two: stolen diploma become international news story

Read the full text of the controversial speech

Prior restraint and free speech suppression by school boards:

  
     
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