School district refuses to place empty chair at graduation for student who died by suicide

A mom whose daughter died by suicide wants an empty chair placed at graduation to honor her daughter, but the school district said no.

Caylee Mastin died by suicide two years ago when she was just 15 years old.

Her mom, Julie Mastin, wants an empty chair placed at graduation to not only honor her daughter but bring awareness to mental health.

The Milford School Board said it does not allow empty chairs to honor deceased students at their graduation ceremonies.

Instead, Caylee’s name will be printed in the graduation program and read aloud at the ceremony. Her family will also receive an honorary diploma, cap and tassel.

The district said it consulted with the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement. An empty chair at graduation is considered a “permanent memorial” and can unintentionally glorify suicide, the center said.

“It doesn’t matter how you died … you should be in this room, and it doesn’t have to be all about you. It doesn’t have to put a damper on things, but just a reminder how precious life is,” Julie Mastin said.

Caylee’s mom also doesn’t understand how an empty chair is considered a permanent memorial.

“A chair is not permanent. A chair is temporary, just for a few hours during the graduation, and you don’t even have to acknowledge it if you don’t want to, you know. So that’s where I’m not understanding,” she said.

The school board, however, said the decision was not made because of the way Caylee died.

“We will not make different decisions depending on how a student passed away. We do not place empty chairs for any student because doing so selectively would be unfair and unsafe,” said Emily Mason, Milford School Board President.

A student started a petition in favor of the empty chair, which has gathered more than 6,000 signatures.

But the school board is steadfast in its decision.

“While we understand there is a petition circulating with many signatures, also want the community to know that we’ve been listening to a wide range of voices,” Mason said.

The district said it has offered grief counseling for students and staff, dedicated a soccer game to mental health, and gave Julie Mastin an opportunity to walk through the high school.

The district’s mental health coordinator also spoke at the school board meeting and said 474 students are receiving mental health services through the district. That’s up from 255 last year.