Leaders of the Bonny Eagle school district plan to meet Monday with upset parents and students in the wake of complaints about the way the high school's graduation unfolded Friday.

"The object of the meeting is how do we make graduation better," said David Hopkins, chair of the Board of Directors for School Administrative District 6.

Tyler Lamy, who was escorted out of Friday's ceremony in his cap and gown, isn't likely to be there.

"I'm so upset about the whole situation. I'm just done," he said.

Graduation ceremonies for the class of 2009 turned into a tense battle of wills after administrators cracked down on exuberant students for violating the school's rules of conduct for graduations.

The trouble started after students sitting on stage began bouncing beach balls and sending a giant inflatable rubber ducky into the air. A uniformed Cumberland County sheriff's deputy, who was attending as the school's resource officer, moved one student away from his classmates and then escorted a second senior – Lamy – out of the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Superintendent Suzanne Lukas warned students to stop with the fun and games, but they didn't. Lukas later refused to give a diploma to at least one senior after he had blown a kiss and bowed to the audience, according to parents and students.

Throughout the ceremony, audience members booed and heckled Lukas, some even shouting profanities, parents and students said.

Portland police were even called to the civic center at about 8:30 to provide potential backup for the sheriff's deputy, said Capt. Vern Malloch. A city officer responded, but left within 10 minutes, Malloch said.

For days afterward, angry parents called and e-mailed Lukas and members of the school board. Some said the superintendent overreacted and turned the ceremony into "a fiasco."

Hopkins said feedback about the graduation crackdown has been mixed.

"Some of it's positive. Some of it's negative. It's all about people and what their expectations are at graduation," he said. "Do we want graduation to be a circus or do we want to it to be a refined event?"

Some parents said they went to the school board meeting Monday to complain about Lukas' actions, but were not offered an opportunity to speak. Hopkins said everybody will get a chance to speak this time. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Bonny Eagle Middle School cafeteria in Standish.

Lukas, who has said students read and signed the behavior expectations beforehand, was on vacation Tuesday and could not be reached. Hopkins said she has the support of the board.

"There is no problem with Suzanne Lucas and the board, whatsoever," he said.

Tyler Lamy, meanwhile, said he feels cheated.

"Your entire family's there to watch you graduate and be so proud. My great-grandmother is 96 years old and she was there," he said. "It's one of those things you can't do over. You can only do it once."

Lamy said he was sitting one row behind a student who inflated a beach ball and tossed it into the air.

"We thought that was great. It's a celebration," he said. "I didn't even get a chance to touch the beach ball."

A student sitting next to Lamy, Decker Leonard, said Lamy didn't appear to have anything to do with the beach balls.

According to Chief Deputy Kevin Joyce, school administrators asked the resource officer to move Lamy to a different part of the stage, as he had done with another senior. When the deputy told Lamy to get up, the student "began swearing and was uncooperative. At that point, (a school official) asked that he be removed," Joyce said.

Lamy admits to getting upset.

"All I heard was, 'Come on, let's go. I'm taking you out of here,' " Lamy said Tuesday. "I was so upset and so distraught, I had a hard time keeping my composure. Basically, all I did was raise my arms up to show I didn't...