Union County parents urge board to honor students who died; superintendent orders review

Tina Sykes Mosley, a grieving mother and founder of Marcus, Mothers Advocating for Real Change and Unwavering Support, told the Union County Public Schools Board of Education that families want deceased students publicly acknowledged at graduation, including a chair with a cap and gown, the student’s name read over the public‑address system and an opportunity for a family member to walk across the stage.

The request came during public comment at the board’s regular meeting, where Leslie Stanfield, a pediatrician and parent who lost her son, Christopher Stanfield, in October 2023, said she was told by school staff that her son’s name would not be called at graduation and that she received a certificate rather than an honorary diploma. "If any of you ever have this experience of losing your child, that is so disheartening," Stanfield said, describing the grief compounded by the absence of a named recognition.

Those speakers asked the board to allow schools to work with families to decide how to honor lost students — ranging from a vacant chair with cap and gown to a family member receiving an honorary diploma — rather than a uniform moment of silence. "We are asking for the same human dignity and remembrance of classmates that the living received as well," Mosley said.

Superintendent Jay Jones said he immediately asked his executive team to form a cross‑functional group of administrators and regional experts to review past practice and develop guidance that balances research on grief with family wishes. "We are not finished with that review process. We're in the final stages of that, and we'll be happy to share and communicate with the board what our conclusions have been when that process is done," Jones said, adding the district hopes to complete the review before the first of the year.

The superintendent framed the review as family‑driven, saying the district will lead the work "with compassion, and based on the wishes of the family." Jones said the committee is charged with examining what the district has done in the past and making recommendations for future practice at graduation ceremonies.

Board members did not take a formal vote on a policy change at the meeting. Several members thanked the speakers and said the issue would be considered as part of the superintendent’s review.

Next steps: the district’s cross‑functional group will complete its review and report findings to the board; no formal policy change or vote was recorded at this meeting.