Let James Tate Go to the Prom

Overview

"Let James Tate Go To The Prom" is a Facebook support group for a Connecticut high school student who was banned from attending the senior prom after asking his date out with a super-sized cardboard sign on the wall of the school gym.

Background

In May 2011, Shelton High School student James Tate and his two friends taped 12-inch cardboard letters outside the school's entrance, asking a friend to the prom dance:

Sonali Rodrigues accepted Tate's request, but the three students who put the sign up were suspended for a day and banned from attending the prom on the grounds that he trespassed on school properties. School headmaster Beth Smith explained that her decision to ban Tate from attending the prom was in adherence to the school district policy that applies to all students suspended after April 1st.

Notable Developments

Students Protest

Other students at Shelton High School staged a sit-in protest to bring James Tate to the prom and the story was picked up by local news stations and nationally syndicated. Within days, hundreds of thousands of people expressed their support for Tate on Facebook^[1] and Twitter, with nearly 200,000 Facebook group members and at least 10,000 tweets associated with the hashtag #TeamTate (as of May 27th, 2011).

Decision Reversal

The media coverage continued when public figures joined in on the cause, including Texans' quarterback Dan Orlovsky and two state legislators Jason Perillo and Sean Williams.

On May 13th, the school officials reversed their decision and Tate will able to attend the prom with dream date on June 4th. What's next for the Facebook group? Making James Tate the prom king.

External References

Facebook Page – Let James Tate Go To The Prom