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Student Allowed To Walk At Graduation, School Board Reverses Decision

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A Monessen high school student who was banned from walking at his graduation ceremony will now get to walk with his classmates.

The Monessen School Board held an emergency meeting Tuesday night and reversed their original decision not to let star football player Chavas Rawlins walk at the high school's commencement ceremony.

Rawlins actually graduated from Monessen High School a semester early and this month started at West Virginia University, where he received a football scholarship.

It was believed that Rawlins was denied the opportunity to walk in the spring after he made comments on Facebook and Twitter supporting his teammates that were expelled for an alleged incident involving drugs and guns.

However, School Board President Sharon Mauck said that was not the reason Rawlins was denied the opportunity to walk.

Mauck said Rawlins asked the school board to leave early and that she told him "if we do allow that to happen, one of the conditions would be that once he graduated he would be done with his high school experience, even the senior activities, including walking at commencement. With his football coach by his side, Rawlins said, 'Yes.' He understood and accepted that."

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