High Schoolers Have Been Placed on a ‘Waitlist’ for Their Prom

Prom season is just beginning across the US, and that means so too are prom-troversies.

One school in Florida has apparently run out of space at its selected prom venue and placed excess students on a “waitlist,” CBS 12 reports.

At Park Vista High School in Lake Worth, Florida, students paid $90 for prom tickets only to find they couldn’t go to the dance. Apparently, when students purchase their prom tickets they sign an agreement stating that they acknowledged that buying tickets online didn’t guarantee admission to prom.

Madisen Maring was one of the students who paid to go to the dance only to find out that she couldn’t attend and wouldn’t be refunded. Maring had already purchased her dress and, her boyfriend, her date, had secured a ticket.

“How could they take my money and not allow me to go?” Maring said. “This has to be a joke.”

A spokesperson for Palm Beach County School District told CBS 12 that this year they booked a new venue this year for two reasons: they usually don’t totally fill up the normal venue and the venue they typically use was booked on prom night. This year’s venue, which they’re using for the first time, has a capacity of 500.

Maring isn’t the only one who ran into this issue. Between 30 and 40 students with tickets were apparently placed on the prom “waitlist.”

Madison Gerst, another student at the school, told Click Orlando that she’s frustrated with the way the situation’s being handled.

“[I spent] $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.

All tickets are non-refundable, even if students can’t go, CBS 12 reports.

“Bad luck. That’s rough timing. I’m sorry you can’t go,” Gerst says she was told.

Gerst says that she and other students are trying to organize an overflow prom for those who can’t get in. The dance would take place at a different venue.

The school board was supposed to hold a meeting on Monday night to address the situation but canceled it when reporters arrived.

A district spokesperson told CBS 12 that students placed on the prom list will get their money back.