Amy Morris said her son's classmates were like family and they "deserved" to hear his name
NEED TO KNOW
- An Illinois mother called out her late son’s name during his high school graduation ceremony after she realized school officials would not be announcing it themselves
- Amy Morris said her son, Keagan Rex, deserved to be recognized alongside his classmates
- The teen died from epilepsy complications five months earlier
A mother in Illinois called out her late son's name at what would have been his high school graduation when she realized it would not be said during the ceremony.
Amy Morris' 17-year-old son, Keagan Rex, died five months earlier due to complications from epilepsy, local news outlet Fox 2 Now reported.
Morris said she had previously been told by school officials that her son's name would be called during a Saturday, May 16, graduation ceremony, despite the district informing her that it typically does not read the names of deceased students aloud and instead honors them with a special memorial section in the program and a moment of silence.
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However, the grieving mom said her child's name was not called, so she yelled his name out herself — a gesture that was met by applause from members of the audience, per the outlet.
Morris, of Belleville, said the decision to omit her son's name wasn't just hurtful to her, but was a disservice to all of his fellow classmates who loved him. “Each and every one of them deserved to hear their friend [and] family recognized,” she told Fox 2 Now.
Morris also said that while her son's name was listed in a special In Memoriam section of the program, it was misspelled.
She added that she additionally learned that another school in the district, Belleville West, had called out the name of a student who died this past year.
Morris said she believes her son deserved to be honored in the same way, and that the district should maintain consistent policies among all schools.
She has since addressed the issue with the Belleville District 201 School Board, per Fox 2 Now.
“[The late students] worked really hard to get to where they were, and unforeseen circumstances happen sometimes,” Morris said. “But that does not make them any less than anybody who was able to go across that stage.”
Morris said her son lit up “any room.” She added: “He is full of jokes and laughter, and he's strong and confident and very intelligent — and worked hard."
In a statement to FOX 2, District Superintendent Dr. Marshaun Warren acknowledged that there were “inconsistencies in how our graduation protocols were carried out across our two campuses.”
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“I recognize that these discrepancies may understandably cause concern that we value the lives and losses of our students differently, and I want to state unequivocally that this is not the case. We are reviewing what happened, and we will ensure alignment in protocols related to this matter moving forward,” Warren added.
Belleville District 201 School Board did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Saturday, May 23.
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