High school students in Virginia were left stunned after they were denied entry to their own prom.
Tickets for Midlothian High School’s junior/senior prom sold out quickly heading into Saturday night. According to the students, this occurred in just a few days during the opportunity week to secure them. But that meant that not all students ended up with tickets to their prom.
The news especially angered seniors, since the fees paid at the beginning of the year included the cost of tickets.
Holden White, a junior, was among those banned from the prom after failing to get a ticket.
“I was looking forward to it and thought since there are only two grades, everyone could attend,” White said. WTVR.
Students at Midlothian High School in Virginia were left stunned after they were denied entry to their own prom. Midlothian High School students prepare for 2024 prom
Tickets for the event quickly sold out in just a few days, leaving seniors particularly furious since their dues included the cost of prom tickets. Pictured: Midlothian High School 2023 Graduation
Junior Holden White said he assumed all students would be able to attend, “since there are only two grades.”
This year, the school changed the location of its prom from the Chesterfield Career and Technical Center’s Hull Campus to the Hippodrome Theater in Richmond, meaning less space and need for tickets.
Furious parents criticized the school on social media for leaving students out of the end-of-year celebration.
‘Midlothian High School changed the venue for its senior graduation this year and can accommodate a fraction of the number of people as previous locations. Many older people DO NOT have tickets to their OWN PROM,” one mother wrote.
He said his son was assigned a ticket, but his ‘long-time girlfriend’ was not, and he kept asking for advice on getting an additional ticket.
‘There is so much chaos surrounding this issue that the school has simply stopped responding to it. “I’m so sad for them,” she wrote.
‘Tonight was NOT on my radar for things to organize. ‘He wants to be where all her friends are to celebrate the end of school…not with her mother.’
In a separate post, another mother claimed that her son was able to get a ticket, but his date was not.
‘An absolute failure for these seniors!’ she wrote. “Heartbroken and sad.”
Midlothian High School responded to the criticism, insisting less than 10 students and 15 guests were unable to get tickets.
The school also stated that it informed families earlier in the year that the prom would have limited capacity due to a change in venue.
The school moved its venue to the Hippodrome Theater in Richmond this year, leaving limited capacity for guests. Pictured: Students dance during the 2024 prom.
Principal Shawn Abel said the school had given students multiple opportunities to get tickets and informed parents there was limited capacity due to the change of venue.
In a statement to parents, Principal Shawn Abel expressed regret that “very few” students and guests were unable to obtain tickets.
“We sent out a statement at the beginning of the school year about prom tickets and limited capacity; be sure to look for early ticket options,” he wrote.
“Then we announced in February/March that seniors can claim their free prom ticket through a Google Form, which was open from March 12-14.”
Abel said registration reopened on April 24 and remained open until the following Monday, while juniors had the opportunity to purchase their ticket online on March 13 and 14.
“We really wanted our Midlo students to have the first opportunity to get their ticket to prom,” Abel continued.
The remaining tickets were divided among four lunch periods and the leftovers were sold. Abel insisted that no student was turned away if he wanted it.
“The reason for our change of location is that the students wanted the prom in a different location… and very few places can accommodate more than 700 people without 18 months’ notice,” he added.
Abel said the location was selected based on “positive feedback” from another high school that had hosted its own prom there for two years.
In response to the uproar, the school opened a waiting list for tickets with priority given to seniors.
DailyMail.com has contacted Midlothian High School for comment.