Family of deceased Belleville East student proposes graduation remembrance policy

Family and friends of a deceased Belleville East student proposed a policy for remembering deceased students at graduation ceremonies during public comment at the District 201 School Board meeting Monday.

More than a dozen supporters gathered at the meeting, mourning six months after the death of Keagan Rex. He died of complications from epilepsy just months before he was set to graduate.

Rex’s mother Amy Morris, clad in a shirt bearing her son’s likeness, said that she felt hurt when administration officials told her Rex’s name would not be called at the ceremony, nor would there be a tribute, such as an open chair with his picture.

Rex’s name was in the program, though Morris said it was misspelled, and the ceremony included a moment of silence for students who died. Superintendent Marshaun Warren told the Belleville News-Democrat it was her understanding that both schools had honored deceased students this way in the past.

But at a Belleville West graduation ceremony this year, school officials read the name of deceased senior Dalton Vonderheide and welcomed a loved one onstage to receive his diploma.

Morris said at last month’s school board meeting that she was glad Vonderheide was recognized — she just wishes that her son got the same opportunity.

The proposed Keagan Rex Memorial Recognition policy, read aloud by Rex’s loved one Chris Pillarick at the meeting, aims to “ensure that families are treated with dignity, compassion and consistency” if a student dies before graduation.

The policy proposal offers several ways for the district to remember students, including reading the student’s name during graduation ceremonies, listing them in the graduation program, holding a moment of remembrance that identifies the student by name and presenting a diploma to the family.

The proposal also says school officials should communicate with the family and consider its preferences.

Four speakers in the group objected to inconsistent treatment of deceased students during graduation at Belleville’s two high schools. Morris told the board she wants to ensure that other families of deceased children are treated equally and given the option to mourn their child at graduation in the way they see fit.

“Keagan was not a policy question — he was my child,” Morris said. “He was here, and he deserves to be remembered alongside his classmates.”

Mariah Idrees, Rex’s cousin and a 2023 Belleville East graduate, told the BND she agrees a policy for recognizing deceased students at graduations should be uniform between both the district’s schools.

“The last biggest milestone should go to that child’s family,” Idrees told the BND.

Monday’s school board meeting was scheduled to take place last week but was rescheduled because not enough board members attended to make up the required quorum.

Warren said the district is working on a graduation protocol for deceased students but would not share details.

“We are working on getting that protocol in place as soon as possible,” Warren said. “It’s at the front of our minds.”

Warren said she, Belleville East Principal Joe Rujawitz and school board Vice President Mike Todd met with Morris at the mother’s request last month. Morris originally requested that board President Mike Eiskant attend, but she said Eiskant told her he was out of town.

According to Morris, Eiskant said the board is working on a protocol, which could take a few months.

The BND emailed the board to ask about current and future steps to create the protocol, the process for creating new protocols and policies, and when the district hopes to have it finished. The board did not respond.

When posed the same questions, Warren said she “cannot provide any further information at this time.”

Morris said her private meeting with school officials did not go as she had hoped. She said district officials simply listened to her and then adjourned the meeting. That’s why she is why she is still pushing, she said.

“I felt like I spoke on deaf ears,” Morris said.

Morris said she filed a complaint with the district against Warren.

This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 11:17 AM.