We, (Kathryn Lavigne and Muhid Naushahi) are calling on the administration of Craig Kielburger Secondary School to allow Ethan Garmoe and Braedyn Paucad to attend prom and to acknowledge the failure of leadership shown throughout this process.

Braedyn is currently homeless and estranged from his parents. Ethan and his family is currently housing Braedyn and they are both under financial strain. Despite this, they both worked hard to save up for a prom ticket. Unfortunately, before we had enough money, we narrowly missed the ticket deadline. From that point forward, we made dozens of respectful attempts to explain the situation and ask for a compassionate exception not just to secretaries, but directly to Vice Principal Mrs. McCann, Principal Mrs. Eliuk, and even the Superintendent.

At every turn, we were met with indifference or outright dismissal.

One secretary responded coldly and mockingly, making an already emotional situation worse.

Mrs. McCann refused to speak with us privately even though one of us was crying in the office, and quickly shut us down without real conversation.

We emailed the principal multiple times, only to receive the same generic response, citing vague “safety concerns.”

Even after escalating to the Superintendent, the request was still denied with no serious effort to consider the unique situation.

This isn’t just about two guests at prom. It’s about the lack of compassion, rigid bureaucracy, and the refusal of school leadership to listen to and support its students in meaningful, human ways. Ethan and Braedyn don’t even have prom at their own school. This would have been their only opportunity to experience this milestone — something many of us take for granted.

We believe our schools should be places of empathy, fairness, and support. Policies exist for a reason, but so does discretion. Two additional guests, planned for a week and a half in advance and clearly communicated, poses no threat to safety only a chance to do the right thing.

We urge the administration to reconsider this decision and show the kind of leadership our community deserves. Let Ethan and Braedyn attend prom.