Students devastated after being left out of $90 school yearbook because of their disabilities: 'It's like we're extinct animals'

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:22, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 19:25, 27 May 2026 A group of special needs students was omitted from their North Carolina high school yearbook, parents say. Krista Zelt Caraway claimed that her two graduating seniors, along with a dozen other students, were left out of the Chapel Hill High School yearbook.  'No individual photos. No accurate senior recognition. No inclusion within the 'Class of 2026' representation that other students received,' she wrote on Facebook on Monday. Caraway's son, Luke, has autism, and her daughter, Lexi, is nonverbal. They are both part of the school's adapted curriculum programs. 'My two seniors have overcome enormous adversity to reach this milestone. One is graduating with straight As and Honors classes after years of perseverance and healing,' she added. 'The other survived profound abuse and neglect before coming into our care and is now thriving in community, friendship, safety, and belonging. 'They deserved to open their yearbook and see themselves reflected alongside their peers.' Luke told The News & Observer that he is 'kind of mad and sad about it' and feels frustrated for his classmates. Krista Zelt Caraway claimed that her son and daughter were left out of the Chapel Hill High School yearbook along with a dozen other students Caraway's son, Luke, who has autism, said being left out of the yearbook made him feel like an 'extinct animal' 'Honestly, it feels like [I'm] an extinct animal because my presence is there, I made a difference, but there's no historical record of me,' he said. Luke said he asked the school to refund the $90 he paid for the yearbook, but he'd rather the school give out new copies to all the students that include everyone’s photos. Chapel Hill High School published an apology on Monday in its weekly message to families, saying it is sorry, 'for a clerical error that led to several students not being represented in the yearbook.' 'We are sorry for any distress we may have caused students and families. We are reviewing our procedures to prevent future situations like this,' the message said. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District spokesman Andy Jenks told the newspaper on Tuesday that the students directly affected will receive new yearbooks with their photos included. The school will also give professionally produced insert pages to students who want to add them to their yearbooks, he said. 'In Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that all students are seen, valued and included,' Jenks said. 'Chapel Hill High School and our district as a whole recognize the heartbreak and anger that's been felt, and for that we are deeply sorry.' Caraway notified the school after she realized Luke, and her daughter, Lexi (pictured), who is nonverbal, were left out of the yearbook Luke said he asked the school to refund the $90 he paid for the yearbook. The school is also offering inserts for students who want to add the missing pages Chapel Hill High interim Principal Jacqueline Ellis told the parents that the omission happened because of 'gaps in our procedures and internal checks.' The high school will evaluate its procedures to 'ensure stronger collaboration and verification processes so that all students are properly included and represented,' Jenks said. The Daily Mail contacted Caraway, Chapel Hill High School and the school district for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.