Delegate introduces bill to award diploma to high school seniors who die before graduation

Richmond Democratic Del. Dawn Adams received a letter in June from a mother who had lost her son to gun violence in November 2021. It had been her son’s lifelong dream to graduate high school and get his diploma, but he had died before he finished his senior year.

Despite the family writing to the son’s school and requesting to receive his high school diploma, they were only awarded a certificate of completion on his behalf.

After hearing this story, Adams wrote to the superintendent of the school system, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera, but was unable to secure a waiver. Now, in the hopes of providing closure to families like this one, Adams is proposing a bill that would do just that.

The bill, HB 1514, would require the Board of Education to allow a high school senior who had died in good standing before graduation to be awarded a diploma. Good standing, according to Adams, meant there was no other expectation that the student would not graduate had they not died.

“I was reflecting on how many students have actually died in their senior year in good standing, either through illness or accident or murder, sadly,” Adams said, “and I just thought what could be a more passionate act of closure for the family then to honor them with what they had hoped to be their high school diploma.”

The bill will amend and reenact 22.1-253.13:4 of the Code of Virginia. The current code provides for the waiver of certain graduation requirements upon the request of the Board of Education or the local school board, granted “only for good cause” and considered on an individual basis.

“I wanted to clarify the language that would make it easier for the school system to feel like they could do this,” Adams said.

If this bill were to pass, Adams intends for it to be something that would be available for families in the future who request a high school diploma.

“The whole reason is just to honor the students’ life up to that point through their expected diploma of graduation as long as they’re in good standing,” Adams said.

When Del. Kaye Kory, D-Falls Church, who is a supporter of the bill, heard the story from Adams, she thought “how could I not help?” she said.

“It seems to me that the responses the family got were automatic bureaucratic responses, not really considering the circumstances of that family,” Kory said. “So this bill ought to create an opportunity for other families that have this sad occurrence to have their request handled without any question.”

The bill has not received support from any Republican House or Senate patrons. It is still awaiting a committee referral.

“I just think it’s a super compassionate and important thing to do for parents and family members,” Adams said, “so I’m just hoping that people see the wisdom in that and how it really isn’t hurting anybody.”