An attorney representing a group of parents of St. John's College students whose graduation and prom were canceled filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Anglican Central Education Authority (ACEA) claiming a "breach of contract".

In the originating summons filed by attorney Christina Galanos, the parents of 26 students are asking the court to order the school to host both the graduation and prom, or as an alternative refund the students the fees associated with both events.

 Galanos said students paid between $300 and $420 each for the graduation package.

 She said she indicated the urgency of the matter to the court and hopes to secure a court date within the next two weeks.

The ACEA has said it canceled the school's prom and graduation ceremony for students' "gross insubordination and deceit".

Galanos said the school does not have legal grounds to cancel the events and not refund the parents the fees they paid. "We're hoping that common sense prevails," she said.

"As it stands now it's a breach of contact." The parents are also seeking a declaration that the "students did not engage, participate or were otherwise involved in any infractions which could result in the disqualification from the graduation ceremony as outlined in the Anglican Central Education Authority Agreement for Participation in graduation".

 Galanos said as the students were made to sign separate contracts, the ACEA should be placed in the position to say how each student breached the contract.

"Nowhere in the contract does it say that the actions of any one child or any group of children would result in the cancelation of a graduation ceremony," she said.

"[School officials] claim that some students did this and that, but they never said which student did what. I think the reasons are trivial to warrant [graduation and prom cancelation].

 "If it is the position of the ACEA that the entire grade 12 class of St. John's College isn't fit to walk across the stage then I think the entire school should be closed because it shows the level of students that it is producing.

"If you can't find one, two, three, four or five eligible students to walk across the stage then what are you doing? What are the teachers doing? I think it speaks volumes against St. John's College."

Galanos represents 29 parents. However, she said she anticipates more parents will join the action over the next few days. About a dozen parents stood outside the court registry yesterday as Galanos filed.

 One parent, Ricardo Moncur, said the students did not deserve to have their graduation canceled.

 "One hundred and six parents paid $300 for their children's graduation fees," he said.

"That was already paid for. We have already expended more money for prom preparations. At minimum that was about $600 each. "When you multiply $600 by 106 that's over [$60,000].

There's nothing in the document that the school issued to us that says that the graduation fees were non-refundable."

He said school authorities should display their Christian values by forgiving the students for their perceived wrongs.

Another parent, Renea Holmes, said three of her family members spent thousands of dollars on airline and hotel fees to attend her 17-year-old daughter's graduation. She said her family flew in from Boston.

 Holmes said she is disappointed by the stance that the ACEA took and hopes that the matter can be resolved.

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