Administrators at Benjamin Franklin High School say they feel terrible that some parents didn't get to see their children graduate.
"We apologize that you were not able to participate fully in the celebration of your graduate," an email read. "The Mahalia Jackson theater reached seating capacity once the ceremony began."
Officials say that around 1,500 parents have showed up for graduation in past years. They moved the ceremony to Mahalia Jackson Theater for a more "intimate" setting. It seats 2,200. However, too many people showed up, and workers locked the doors once all seats were full.
The school leadership says tickets should have been issued to ensure every graduate had a least a minium number of guests guaranteed a seat.
Here is the email sent to families...
Dear class of 2019 parents and families,
Congratulations to the Class of 2019 on their commencement yesterday afternoon. It was a spirited and well-deserved celebration of 219 outstanding young men and women, marred only by the fact that the Mahalia Jackson theater reached seating capacity once the ceremony began. The decision to move from the Lakefront Arena to the Mahalia Jackson Theater was made in order to provide a more intimate venue for this special event. The seating capacity is 2,243. After reserving seats for the graduates and faculty, that left about 1,975 seats. The planning committee and I did not see a need to require tickets with an average of nine seats available for each graduate. We were wrong, and we apologize to each family member and friend who was kept out of the theater. It is a very small consolation, but the entire ceremony was broadcast and is available on YouTube ... The planning committee is meeting this morning to review all aspects of yesterday's ceremony and venue so we do not have this issue next year. Again, to the family and friends of the Class of 2019 who were kept out of the theater, we apologize that you were not able to participate fully in the celebration of your graduate."
