“I was very upset…I’m like, ‘Why did we even come?’ “ said Linda Ramirez, the parent of a high school student with special needs.

Georgia school officials apologized over a high school graduation ceremony incident last month where students with special needs were allegedly excluded from fully participating, left sitting in a hallway during the commencement.

In an interview, Linda Ramirez, mother of Ashlynn Rose Rich, a student from Sprayberry High School in Marietta, shared her disappointment. She explained that during the ceremony at Kennesaw State University (KSU) on May 25, her daughter and other special education students were segregated from the rest of the students. Ramirez feels the apology from the Cobb County School District is just a first step.

“I did thank them for their apology and let them know that’s what I wanted, a formal apology, because it should have never happened,” she said.

Ramirez wanted her daughter, Rich, to have the same graduation experience as her older siblings. But, according to Ramirez, Rich and several other students with special needs did not have that opportunity.

“All the members of her IEP [Individualized Education Program] team knew that Ashlynn was to graduate at KSU,” Linda explained. “That was always our first plan. Later, I was asked if Ashlynn would participate in the special needs graduation at Sprayberry during the school day. I said, ‘Sure, why not? She’s going to be in school anyway.’ But we understood KSU was the significant ceremony.”

Ramirez didn’t know the special education students would be separated until the day of the ceremony. She recalls a phone call with a teacher upon arriving at the event.

“I asked, ‘Where will [Ashlynn] be sitting?’ and was told she wouldn’t be with the general ed students. I was shocked and upset, but it was too late as the ceremony had started,” she said.

According to Ramirez, the special education students couldn’t fully participate in the ceremony, missing out on speeches and music. “They called the special needs students one by one to walk across the stage and exit through a hallway, while the general ed commencement activities were just beginning. I was very upset…I’m like, ‘Why did we even come?’”

“Everyone with a special needs child had to go collect their kids during the full ongoing commencement ceremony, so our kids missed everything – the turn of the tassel, the opening speeches, and the big walkout,” Ramirez continued.

Ashlynn Rose Rich shared her feelings in an interview with ABC affiliate WSB, stating, “I feel depressed and upset for graduation, for the whole ceremony.”

In a statement a representative from the Cobb County School District explained: “Every year, we graduate around 8,000 students, and each special needs parent in Cobb decides how their child participates. Some families prefer a full graduation ceremony, while others wish to protect their child from noise and stimuli differently. Each child’s needs are discussed individually and confidentially to meet their specific requirements.”

“This year, we discovered one student at Sprayberry High School wasn’t offered these choices,” the statement continued. “Our expectations and the parent’s were not fully met, leading our Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to apologize to the student and family during the June 13 Board meeting.”

At the meeting, Ragsdale apologized for the May commencement, saying, “On behalf of the district, I apologize to Ashlynn and her family. Decisions should be made by parents, no matter how well-intentioned they may seem.”

Ragsdale noted the district had launched an investigation and that it was being handled as a serious matter.

Ashlynn Rich addressed the board members, stating, “I felt mistreated and discriminated against because I couldn’t sit with my classmates. Many of my friends are regular students, and it saddened me to miss experiencing graduation with them.”

When asked about the apology from the school district, Linda Ramirez shared, “Ashlynn thought it was great. She appreciated the recognition and apology, even though she was hurt by missing out on sitting with the general education graduates. She understands they were in the wrong and that they have apologized.”