Diploma withheld over excessive cheering

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MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio, June 6 (UPI) -- An Ohio school district says a student whose family disrupted graduation with excessive cheering needs to complete community service to receive a diploma.

Mount Healthy City Schools Superintendent Lori Handler said Tuesday Anthony Cornist and the members of his family need to complete 20 hours of community service before he will receive his diploma from Mount Healthy Senior High School, WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, reported Wednesday.

Handler said Cornist's family signed an agreement prior to the May 24 event promising to abide by the rules, but they violated the agreement by cheering excessively to the point where it was difficult to hear the names of other students being read.

The superintendent said three other families are being given the same punishment.

"In order for (the students whose families were disruptive) to graduate, to receive their diplomas, they are going to have to do some community service," Handler said.

Traci Cornist, Anthony's mother, said she thinks it's wrong to punish her son for the actions of his family.

Handler, who said the students were "angelic" during the ceremony, said all 20 hours of community service could be performed by Cornist's family members, if they so choose.