GROVE CITY — By definition, a valedictorian�s traditional role is to give the final speech at a graduation ceremony.

Grove City Area School District doesn�t see it that way.

�(Speaking at graduation) is not a right, it�s a privilege,� said superintendent Robert Post. �It�s up to the organization to decide (who speaks).�

About 50 concerned residents, including 15 Grove City High School seniors, attended last Monday�s board meeting to voice their support for this year�s valedictorian, Jordan Gruber, to speak at commencement on June 5.

�I think it�s absolutely preposterous that the valedictorian doesn�t speak,� said John Gruber, Jordan�s father. �These kids work hard in school for four years and deserve to have a few minutes.�

According to Post, the decision to not allow the valedictorian to speak at graduation was made late last year by former high school principal Joe Skibinski. Post said the change was made mainly due to time constraints.

This year, 206 seniors are estimated to graduate from Grove City, pending final exams. Last year, 153 students graduated from the district.

Post noted that the valedictorian is allowed to introduce the main speaker during graduation, which does allow them to speak at the ceremony, albeit about a topic not of their choosing.

Grove City senior Josiah Welker presented a petition to the school board requesting that Gruber be allowed to speak at commencement. He said it was signed by 98 seniors.

�The 2009 class does care about our valedictorian and the honor to give a speech at the ceremony,� Welker said.

Former Grove City student Megan Reuber, who served as valedictorian in 2006, also urged the board to allow Gruber to speak.

�I thank you for giving me that opportunity to talk to my classmates and want to tell you how much it meant to me,� Reuber told the board. �I hope future valedictorians have the same opportunity to share memories and reflections with classmates. It means a lot and I hope you reconsider.�

Some students and parents believed the religious content of past speeches, in which the valedictorian thanked God, is the real issue at hand.

�I�m disappointed our valedictorian is not allowed to speak possibly because of his Christian beliefs,� said Tammie Henricks, who has a daughter in 10th grade. �Nobody on the board or in the school has the courage to step forward and admit that they do not want him to speak because of his beliefs. He is not asking anyone to join a church.�

According to Henricks, Gruber has earned the right to address his classmates at commencement.

�This student worked hard to be valedictorian and should receive rewards for his outstanding accomplishments,� she said. �Speaking at graduation should be one of them and I hope you give this student the recognition he deserves.�

Post acknowledged that concern over the content of student speeches was also a factor in the decision to not allow the valedictorian to speak.

�We want this event to be a joyous time for everyone and be respectful of each of our graduates,� Post said.

Post cited a Nevada court case, McComb v. Crehan, in which the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the action of school officials who cut off the microphone at graduation ceremonies when the valedictorian departed from an approved speech and began reading from a version that contained biblical references.

�We do not want students preaching, as it is illegal,� Post said.

Post also noted that the commencement ceremony is a closed forum, in which the overseeing organization decides who speaks, not an open forum, in which everyone has the right to speak.

�Everybody has freedom of speech, but not the freedom to speak (at a closed forum),� he explained. �Any organization � whether it�s a school district, university or military � decides what goes into a graduation ceremony, who is permitted to speak and what topics can be presented.�

But Gruber, who also attended the meeting, said he believed he has earned the right to address his classmates in a farewell speech.

�Whether it�s my right to speak or right of speech that�s the issue, I think I�ve earned both of them over the past four years,� Gruber said.

He added that 25 days after graduation, he will be enlisting in the U.S. Naval Academy, where he will �take an oath to defend those rights.�

Gruber also read the dictionary definition of valedictorian to the board, as �the student with the highest academic rank that gives the valedictory or farewell oratory to his or her class.�

Gruber requested that the school board either make a title change or give the valedictorian an opportunity to give a speech at commencement.

Post, who said he had lengthy discussions with Gruber about the issue before it was presented to the board, said he certainly understood the student�s position. He said the board would consider all of the public�s input before making a decision.

Grove City Area School Board will hold a special meeting at 8 p.m. today to discuss and vote on whether Gruber will be able to speak at graduation. The meeting is open to the public.