Mother Claims School Discriminated Against Her Son At Prom

Kelly Allen thought last Saturday night would be a night he would never forget. It was the date of Palm Desert High School’s prom.

He never made it there.

“I haven’t slept in three days since this happened,” said Yumeka Allen, Kelly’s mother. “I haven’t slept Sunday or Monday. I haven’t eaten anything. I’ve just had water.”

The outraged mother said school officials pulled her son from the group of friends he arrived with and barred him from entering because they suspected he had been drinking.

It took two hours before a sheriff’s deputy arrived and gave her son a breathalyzer test, which he passed.

“[The deputy] read it to them right there and then,” said Yumeka. “She said ‘It’s 0.0’ By then, it’s 11:15 p.m.”

The prom was scheduled to end at midnight. By then, Allen’s date and the group he came with had already left.

Allen’s mother claims the school discriminated against her son because he’s African-American.

“If you suspect this one person, you should have tested everybody in that group or else pulled that group to the side,” she said.

Yumeka filed a formal complaint, which led to a meeting with a district supervisor and high school administrators on Wednesday.

“He took notes that they need to implement something,” she said. “They need to have a professional officer there.”

A sergeant with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department told News Channel 3 deputies were not present during any of the area’s proms.

“I don’t want this to happen to somebody else,” she Yumeka. “I don’t want my son to walk away from this thinking negatively. This can make or break you as an adult. He’s 18.”

While the district’s investigation may take a month. school leaders offered to pay for Allen’s Grad Night ticket and refund his prom tickets for a total of $210.

He spent more than $500.

School officials did not want to go on camera to discuss the allegations. but the high school’s interim principal, Maureen Thompson, said the school always reflects on any situation to make sure that policies or procedures are there.

“We want to make sure our students are safe and secure,” she said.