Student Not Allowed To Walk on Her Graduation Day Because she is Pregnant

Though she had excellent grades, was president of the student council, and played on the school soccer team, high school senior Maddi Runkles is banned from walking at her graduation ceremony in early June. This is the way her school, a private Christian school in Maryland called Heritage Academy, is punishing Runkles for what they deem "immoral" behavior — Runkles is pregnant, which means that several months ago, she had sex.

As reported by CBS, students at Heritage Academy sign a pledge in which they promise to abstain from "sexually immoral" behavior. In revealing she was pregnant, Runkles in turn revealed she'd broken the conditions of the pledge. Fear of being chastised by her school and classmates caused the thought of terminating her pregnancy — something Runkles said she knows is "wrong" — to cross her mind. "I never thought that I would consider [an abortion] but it's just the fear of what I've seen girls like me go through," Runkles told CBS. 

Instead, Runkles chose to carry her pregnancy to term and Heritage Academy began rolling out discipline. Because the father does not attend Heritage Academy, he isn't being disciplined by the school. According to the New York Times, Runkles was suspended for two days, removed from her leadership position as student council president, and subsequently banned from walking at graduation June 2. All of this would've remained private if the Runkles family hadn't sought help from Students for Life — a pro-life, anti-abortion group.

Students for Life views Runkles punishment from Heritage Academy as unjust. The group argues that she's being punished for not having an abortion, which would've allowed her to keep her sexual activity and pregnancy a secret from the school. "She made the courageous decision to choose life, and she definitely should not be shamed," Kristan Hawkins, the Students for Life president," told the Times. The group also brought Runkles to a recent pro-life rally in Washington D.C., where Runkles tearfully addressed a crowd and celebrated the future life of her baby.

Despite requests from Students for Life to allow Runkles to walk at graduation, David Hobbs, the principal at Heritage Academy, recently broke his silence on the subject of Runkles's punishment to defend the school's decision. "Let me clarify some facts," he wrote in a statement on the Heritage Academy homepage. "Maddi is being disciplined not because she is pregnant, but because she was immoral... Heritage is also pleased that she has chosen not to abort her son. However, her immorality is the original choice she made that began this situation."

Hobbs clarified that Runkles will receive her diploma but will not be joining the class as they walk across the stage in a formal ceremony June 2. "That night, I want God to be glorified in a dignified manner," Hobbs wrote at the end of the statement. "Please enable us to do this."

According to the Times, Runkles plans to raise her child — a boy — with the help of her parents. "I made the right choice, and in a couple months, I'll have this little sweet reward just to remind me that I did the right thing," Runkles told CBS.

 She keeps a framed ultrasound image of him on her nightstand in her bedroom. She told CBS she plans to name him "Grayson," in reference to God's grace and forgiveness.