Sounding disappointed, tired — but not the least bit angry — James Tate thanked his supporters Thursday and said it’s time for him to focus on his golf game.
“All of this attention has become a bit out of hand,” Tate said outside his Shelton home.
When asked if he wants things to return to normal, his response was succinct: “Yes.”
The comments were made a few hours after Shelton High School headmaster Beth Smith announced school officials would not budge on their decision to ban Tate and two friends from attending this year’s prom.
Tate and his friends used duct tape and cardboard and posted a giant message on an exterior wall of Shelton High School last weekend asking classmate Sonali Rodrigues if she would go to the dance with him.
The bold gesture landed the AP student in hot water with Shelton officials, who gave Tate and his buddies in-school suspension.
However, Shelton High School’s policy states that any student who receives an in-school or out-of-school suspension after April 1 is automatically prevented from going to the prom.
The idea is to deter end-of-the-school-year hijinx.
Tate’s plight made him an Internet sensation, with hundreds of thousands of people showing support for “Team Tate” on Twitter and Facebook.
It landed him and Rodrigues on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Wednesday night and the “Today” show Thursday morning.
Shelton school officials remained silent all week as throngs of media camped outside the school. Superintendent Freeman Burr issued a written statement Wednesday that essentially said “there will be no statement.”
Smith broke her silence Thursday by reading a terse statement outside the high school that repeated Shelton’s policy, saying that everyone in the school community knows the consequences when the rules are broken.
“This unfortunate situation is a result of one of those consequences,” Smith said, before turning her back on reporters and heading back into the high school.
“I guess that means no,” someone in the crowd said.
The Tate family — James, dad James Sr. and mom Tracey — were disappointed but ready to move on.
The Internet has exploded with people trying to organize an “alternative” prom for Tate and his friends.
Tate thanked them for their support, but said he wants to have fun the night of his prom — but he wants to enjoy himself privately with his friends.
Tate, throughout the ordeal, never had a bad word to say about Shelton schools or the administrators.
His parents said they were proud of the way their son handled the attention.
His dad also said an alternative “prom” in Shelton would not be appropriate.
“That’s just not the way it should be in the city. The city is a great group of people and community and I’d like to see it stay like that. We would love to see one prom, and everybody have a terrific time, and just enjoy it, and move on,” James Tate, Sr. said.
James returned to his house at about 7 p.m. Thursday, where a gaggle of reporters had been waiting for about two hours.
He had been at golf practice — it hadn’t gone too well, unable to beat the par.
“Well your mind was on other things,” his mom told him.
The complete statement from the Shelton High School headmaster is published below.
The statement from Shelton High School headmaster Beth Smith:
“Shelton High School is a learning community where students are expected to meet high academic and behavioral expectations. There has been a practice at Shelton High School for many years that any student receiving an in-school or out-of-school suspension after April 1 for any reason would not be allowed to attend the prom.
This regulation is reinforced over the course of the spring by daily PA system reminders, posted signage in common areas of the building and classrooms, as well as informational letters and automated phone messages to parents.
These communications are intended to remind our students and parents of the high school expectations and consequences.
This unfortunate situation is a result of one of those consequences.”
I know the school officials must be thinking that they cannot back away from their decision for fear of the precedence they think it will set. Unfortunately they are missing the bigger message here – Decisions based on bad rules are bad decisions, and there is nothing wrong with reversing a bad decision. Let James Tate attend his prom, he deserves it.
Well “Dr.” Beth Smith. Has anyone ever told you how compassionate you are. No? Well I can see why. You strike me as a bitter person. Maybe you can serve the punch at the prom.
I used an instructor extremely similar to DR BETH SMITH – HEAD-Master at SHS while attending school in Holland. Mr. Franz Becker was his name with a questionable extremist composure reflecting post WWI communist tendencies. Now owning my own company, I make it a point for my employees to have fun while working under my roof and this even includes practical jokes to make the day go by a bit easier in this stressful society.
Let her apply for employment at my institution and I could possibly make a total CLOWN out of her while she submits to my employee sensitivity courses I offer via training.
After reading this article and the comments following I felt compelled to share my feelings.Dr. Beth Smith has a difficult job as Headmaster at Shelton High School.She has devoted her whole life to the teaching and caring for our children.Anyone who works with Beth or knows her personally has no doubt that she is a compassionate and caring person. She had a tough decision to make and be fair to all of the students at Shelton High School, especially the ones who have broken the rules recently and can not attend the prom.Sometimes in life you can’t please everyone with your decisions but someone has to make them. I think the Tate family has it right. Let’s move on and get passed this. We have a wonderful community with caring people who are trying to do the best they can. When Dr. Smith came to work that day she did not deserve to be put in a no win situation.If James Tate knew he would have caused all this controversy,especially for his Headmaster, I am sure he would not have pursued his quest for an unusual prom invitation.
Dr. Smith deserves our support for all she has done for Shelton High School. How about showing some compassion for her as well as the Tate Family. Lets move on and all make a positive difference in our community
Dr. Smith deserves no compassion. This prom invitation was not a prank nor was it so egregious as to warrant a suspension in-school or out of school. The problem is Smith who made a fundamentally flawed decision which then triggered the prom issue.
I would have had greater admiration for her if she had used a thoughtful, reasoned adult approach to the invitation – one being, you get detention and clean up your sign and the front of the school. We have seen time and again not only in CT but across the nation where administrators take themselves too seriously and have an under-developed sense of discipline and proportion. Then they overreact and hide behind the skirts of rules which wouldn’t even be in play if they had governed appropriately from the beginning. The school board and the administrator union should do a peer review and hold her accountable for poor judgement. It sets a very bad example for our children. The inability to admit the first mistake has compounded the problem and made Shelton look poorly to her neighbors, the state and the nation.