A Petersburg parent is seeking $5,000 in a lawsuit filed against the city School Board because of a time change in the high school graduation ceremony.

Two weeks ago, the School Board changed the graduation time for 277 students from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. on June 6 because school officials were concerned that the bleachers at the high school's stadium would be too hot for attendees' comfort at the later time.

Alfreda Payne, a contract specialist at Defense Supply Center Richmond, said she had ordered a 25-invitation package for her son's graduation at a cost of $302.40. The invitations, which had the 6 p.m. time, are now useless, she said.

Payne said her suit asks for $5,000 because the time change will force her to be absent from work, and it will cause suffering to the family because relatives won't be able to get off work in time for the ceremony.

"That's not fair," she said.

A hearing on the lawsuit, filed Monday, has been set for June 5.

Payne and Felicia Mallory, another parent, complained about the time change to board members during a meeting last Wednesday. They said parents had not been notified of the change.

School spokesman Cliff Davis said the new time was publicized in the media and at public meetings. Petersburg High School Principal Alicia Fields met with high school seniors May 9, and a letter went to parents Thursday, Davis said. Schools will be closed June 6 to allow students and employees to attend the ceremony.

Davis said yesterday that school officials did not have a comment on the lawsuit.

Marc Payne, a top basketball athlete, is the last of Alfreda Payne's three sons to graduate from Petersburg schools, she said. He will attend North Carolina A&T State University in the fall to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

Alfreda Payne said she has collected signatures from about 500 people for petitions to change the graduation ceremony back to 6 p.m.
Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or jlizama@timesdispatch.com.