Dozens of Florida Students Are Waitlisted for Their Own Prom

Dozens of Florida teenagers have found themselves on a waitlist— for their own prom.

Madison Maring already shelled out money for her dream dress and a ticket. She was ready to go with her boyfriend.

"Just ruins it. He better find a new date because I can't be his date," Maring told WPEC.

Maring was one of hundreds of students who dropped $90 on tickets to Park Vista's prom. Her boyfriend is getting in, but she was waitlisted.   

This year, the school district said they told students tickets were limited because the venue would be smaller. The first 500 students to turn in a contract were guaranteed admission. It's unclear if the district sent out notices about when they actually hit that number.

However, they did include a disclaimer saying that buying tickets online wouldn't necessarily mean students would get in.

"$600 on the dress, $300 on extensions, I rented a Maserati, I've spent well over $1,000 on prom and now I can't go," said Madison Gerst.

Gerst said school officials told her,  "Bad luck. That's rough timing. I'm sorry you can't go."

Parents say a recent meeting with a school board member was cancelled at the last minute, as word traveled that reporters would be at the meeting.

At this point, about 30-40 students won't be able to get in.

Even though the contract stated all tickets were non-refundable, a district spokesperson indicated that waitlisted students would in fact get a refund.

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