By now, the story is a familiar one, as is the Hartford Schools Board of Education’s clumsiness in handling most issues which come before them.

The story is about 76-year-old Hartford resident Mike Fothergill and his quest to be awarded a Hartford High School diploma after a questionable and unheard-of life-time expulsion from Hartford Public Schools in 1968.  Spearheading the assistance of Mr. Fothergill in this quest has been Anne Goshdigian of the Hartford News and Steve Goode of the CT Insider.  Both of whom have combined for several published stories detailing the injustice handed Mr. Fothergill (read Goshdigian’s latest article here, and Goode’s article published nearly a year ago, here).  Along with keeping the issue in the public eye over the past year, Goshdigian and Goode brought Mr. Fothergill before the BOE during last month’s Regular Meeting to plead his case and tell his story (view the presentation here).

Feeling the heat by the work of Goshdigian and Goode, the BOE began to draft a new graduation policy for HPS in October of 2023, and passed that new graduation policy in November of 2023.  The revised policy contained language allowing the BOE to award an honorary degree to individuals with 50 years of service to Hartford, an unneeded addition since state law has allowed such a degree to be awarded since at least 2016.  Based on state law, Mr. Fothergill could have received an honorary diploma from the board long before they tackled a revision of current board policy.

And then came a BOE Committee of the Whole Meeting earlier this month where we learned that after nearly a year of fiddling with the idea and reality of a policy, now the board must come up with a process for carrying out a policy approved by the board six months ago.  We’ll all be 76 before this is ready for prime time!

At the May 1st meeting, the board was presented with a draft application for folks who may be requesting an honorary diploma from HPS (and with this presentation the BOE is in violation of state law Section 10-220 (g), which states that any document given to the BOE for review must be attached to the online agenda.  The application, two weeks later, is not attached to the agenda).  Amateurs.

And, signaling further delay in Mr. Fothergill’s quest, outgoing board member Rigueur (he’s being replaced by Mayor Arulampalam) suggested perhaps a board subcommittee should be created to handle the thousands of possible honorary diploma applications which will be flooding BOE offices when and if they make the application available to the public.  This proposed subcommittee would handle the reviewing of each application and possibly, according to Rigueur, a “rubric for scoring” applications may have to be created so the board can determine who does and who doesn’t qualify for an honorary diploma. Jesus!

In addition to discussing the honorary diploma application at this meeting, the board also had discussion on whether it would be appropriate to award an honorary diploma during the regular graduation ceremony for high school seniors.

Board liaison Christina Santiago stated that it was her understanding that any honorary diploma would be awarded during a BOE meeting.  Board member Browdy stated that colleges and universities which award honorary diplomas do so during regular graduation ceremonies, not in “hide away” places, such as a BOE meeting.

Outgoing board member Rigueur added even more time to the process when he suggested that they may have to get an opinion on the legality of honorary diplomas being awarded at regular graduation ceremonies.

Board Member Deristel-Leger had a different take on this issue.  She thought it appropriate to clarify for Ms. Browdy that honorary degrees at the college level are not done by application, but rather by the recipient being “sought out” by the institution.  This was her defending the regular public graduation ceremony presence of the honorary degree recipient at the college level. 

However, her point actually gives more credence to the applying individual than it does the “sought out” individual.  Who is more deserving of a public ceremony, a person receiving an honorary degree based on being famous for something unrelated to the institution giving the degree, or a person who has spent time and energy meeting the qualifications required to apply for the honorary degree?

Deristel-Leger also spoke against any HPS honorary diploma being awarded to a person during a regular graduation ceremony.  Doing so, she stated, would steal the “light” and “attention” from graduating seniors.

I’d be willing to bet that every graduating senior at Hartford Public High would be thrilled and would welcome Mr. Fothergill’s presence on their graduating stage.  Allowing this would send the message to students that learning is a life-long process and should always be celebrated and not regarded as something less.

Allowing honorary diploma recipients to march with the regular graduating class would be a public relations boon to a district in dire need of positive impressions.

Doing so would allow Mr. Fothergill to experience a rite of passage that all young people are entitled to, which was apparently taken from him so long ago.  This would also shine a light on the more than 50 years of Fothergill donating time and energy to the only community he has called home, while also sending a very positive message to graduating seniors on the value of community service.

This whole process is turning out to be more laborious than planning the invasion of Normandy.  Why couldn’t the process discussion have been part of the policy formulation?  Chew gum and walk at the same time much?  Let the man have his diploma!  Let the man march!