Father Denied Claim Filed Against A Rainy Graduation
By Pauline Grant - August 18, 2008Claims adjusters have denied a Gilbert, Arizona father's demand for compensation filed because of a rare downpour that drenched Gilbert High School's graduation ceremony in May.
Kirk Gossett, whose son just graduated, filed an insurance claim after the ceremony claiming he was owed compensation of $400 to replace a damaged sport coat and pay for his daughter's plane ticket from Utah.
Gossett argued the high school should have been prepared to move the ceremony indoors because forecasts throughout the week had predicted rain.
But the Arizona School Risk Retention Trust, which handles insurance and legal claims for nearly all public school districts in the state of Arizona, sent Gossett a letter denying his claim.
Thomas Mullen, an adjuster for the trust, wrote in the letter that Gilbert High "made a good faith effort to conduct the graduation ceremony . . . to best accommodate the participants and their invited guests."
Gossett could file a small-claims complaint through the court system if he chooses to pursue the issue. He hasn't returned messages seeking comment.
When rain hit graduation ceremonies last May, officials at some schools moved ceremonies into gyms or auditoriums, which had limited seating, prompting a few families to complain that not all of their relatives and friends could watch.
Schools that had closed-circuit broadcasts asked attendees who couldn't squeeze into the auditorium to watch the event in other areas.
But Gilbert High decided to weather the rain. The move ensured everyone could watch. Assistant Superintendent Clyde Dangerfield said that he has never seen it rain on graduation in his 15 years with the district. And he's never seen a claim like Gossett's before.
"You can't hold the school district responsible for weather," Dangerfield said. "It's just not a reasonable request."
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