Southfield Students Get Free Prom Ticket With Vaccination

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) — Students in a suburban Detroit district who get vaccinated against COVID-19 will get a free ticket to the senior prom.

The Southfield district said a donor who wants to be anonymous has pledged to cover the cost of the $80 ticket. Students without a vaccination won't get the benefit, Superintendent Jennifer Green said.

Green said the goal was to help seniors after a tumultuous year. Vaccinated students will have their status verified through a state registry. The prom is on June 14.

"To vaccinate or not vaccinate is an individual choice," Green said. "We are not prohibiting students from attending. We are not separating or segregating students who choose not to receive the vaccine or do receive the vaccine. We simply want to provide our students an opportunity to celebrate this milestone in their life."

Members of a group called Informed Choice Michigan, who question the COVID-19 vaccine, held a protest Friday, saying free tickets for the vaccinated could lead to harassment of students who aren't vaccinated.

The protest was on the same day as a vaccination clinic for students, age 12 and older.