Lamont Cloud Jr., a graduating 8th grader that attended Seaford Middle school in Delaware, has allegedly been bullied from students, teachers, the principal, and even the bus driver.
In a video now going viral, Lamont's mother, Cherae, went live on Facebook claiming that Seaford Middle didn't allow Lamont to attend his graduation. When Lamont arrived to the ceremony, the school turned him around and told him that he couldn't walk because of the way that he was dressed.
Cherae cried tears of frustration that her eldest son was being discriminated against for allegedly being openly gay and that the school was picking on her son and not allowing him to graduate.
"Seaford Middle school principal, told my son that he could not walk the stage because of what he had on. [My son] needed to be in a full suit, basically just to graduate"
In the video, Lamont's mom, Cherae, points the camera at her son. Lamont is seen wearing a button up, collared shirt and a pair of shorts. He also has his nails polished yellow. According to our sources, the principle of Seaford Middle School, Mr. Clave, allegedly stopped Lamont from walking across the bridge.
She continues, "The issue that everyone has with my son, even Seaford Middle school district, I will be going to see the board tomorrow, is because my son is gay. Yes he is gay. Let him be gay. My son has been bullied and everything else. ...You gon tell my son go find your mom in the crowd and if you can't find her, I'm quite sure she can find you. My son tells them 'how do she know how to find me?' or 'how do she know to look for me if she thinks I'm suppose to be in line graduating with my class lined up?' It's ridiculous."
In a direct statement given to Gaye Magazine, Jalen Camper, LGBT activist and a close friend of Lamont's mother, said, "So what basically happened [was that] Seaford Middle School in Seaford, Delaware had a bridge graduation, which is when you transfer from 8th grade to high school. When Lamont, the child, [arrived] to the ceremony, they turned him around and told him he couldn't walk because of the way he was dressed. Now the dress code was 'no jeans or t-shirts' and in the video you can clearly see [that] he has a button up and shorts, but he also has his nails painted yellow and wears fake hair all school year. He's been bullied and complained about teachers picking on him, making him feel uncomfortable because of the way he expressed himself. When we notified the superintendent of the school district, he stated the ceremony had passed and it's nothing he [could] do. But we know this is pure discrimination."
When asked about the frequency of the bullying Camper said, "Just this school year when he started expressing himself with his nails and hair. I'm sorry last school year as well. But he was more open this school year and it's when it got really bad."
Camper sent us screenshots of the email that the school sent to parents letting them know what their child were supposed to wear for the graduation. The email was received on May 30th and the graduation ceremony was on June 3rd.
"The teacher/principal whom we're speaking of name is Mr. Clave. The bullying has been frequent all year round. From bus drivers, to students, to teachers," said Camper.
Camper continues, "This is the official dress code that was sent to the mother (via email/instagram). The child had nothing on [that was] wrong. There was nothing [on] there [saying] no shorts. He had on a dress shirt and kaki shorts."
When asked about filing a formal complaint against the school Camper said, "We've spoken to the superintendent, but he doesn't believe the child or agree with us."
Gaye will be reaching out to Seaford Middle school to request a direct statement from school officials.