. >> principal dave hobs says the decision was made with maddie's best interest at heart even thougher family has opposed it. >> i'm glad that she's decided to keep the baby and not abort the baby yet she's not being disciplined because she decided to keep the baby. >> to enroll at heritage academy, students have to sign a student pledge to avoid things like alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs. and when they sign that dotted line, they're also taking a vow of abstee nens. when maddie chose to breach that bible standard of disciplined plan had to be established. >> however the students for life antiabortion group says maddie has already gotten a two day from the graduation is taking things too far. >> the school has shown students that it was easier to choose abortion than to choose life. because she chose to carry her child and courageously made that decision, she's been punished this entire semester for being pregnant and that's just wrong. >> now maddie's parents have planned an alter tif graduation ceremony for her next weekend. she's due to deliver in september. she's planning to

classes. >> are you setting an example of maddie. >> no.ve that every situation should be evaluated individually. when it comes to a precedent i don't think precedents always guide decisions that are made in the future. >> reporter: 18-year-old says she chose to tell school officials she was pregnant in an effort to not deceive her teachers and peers. maddie is 4.0 student who was forced to step down from her leadership positions at school and kept home for two days during an unofficial suspension she says she's accepted her discipline but by not allowing her to walk she feels she's being shamed. >> you can't be pro life but then refuse to support the girl that keeps her baby. >> graduation is in just about a week. if the school refuses to let maddie walk, she's going to have a separate private ceremony and invite all of her classmates. >>> let's get back to your fox 29 weather authority. as we take live look at center city. as we cross the mid point of the week. a lot of people start really start thinking about that long holiday weekend. w

we first told you about maddie yesterday. he broke her christian high school's code of conduct and now she is not being allowed to walk in her ceremony. today her principal speaks out giving her first interview. >> reporter: just before she showed us the sonogram of her son grayson, she said she felt and punished for keeping her child. >> you can't be pro-life and killing babies and step back from the girl. >> reporter: we sat with david, principal of maddie's school. in her view she felt as though heritage academy, her school, turned its back on her after she chose to keep her child. how do you respond to that? >> i'll say that the matter is not a pro life issue. maddie's situation is not an abortion issue. certainly we're pleased that she has chosen to keep her child. certainly we're pleased she has chosen not to abort her child. >> reporter: she feels as though she is being punished for keeping her child. >> the issue is our standard of abstinence. >> repr: straight a student and works two jobs. still she is banned from gr

while maddie runkels is gaining support, she has also been called out and criticized on social mediaw students and their moms. but she'd be the first to admit it won't be easy watch. >> i'm working really hard to accomplish all my goals in all my dreams. but i have to have a little guy falling right next to me. and were going to do together. >> maddie's baby boy is due september 4th. >> martha: thank you very much. joining me now for an exquisite interview with the story is 18-year-old maddie runkels drawn by the president of pro-life group for life of america. christine hawkins, welcome to both of you did you ever think you're going to find yourself in the middle of all of this? >> not at all. how did this happen? >> i told the school the punishment that they gave me was just like a normal punishment to anybody at has received before prayed i was given an unofficial suspension i was taking out of all my leadership positions and so punishment was done and over with. then i came back and i said four months, you're not going to be able to walk in your graduation. it was just dragging o

. >> reporter: by all accounts, maddie is a good student. she got into college. has a 4.0 average, and a growing baby bump. >> how far along are you? >> 25 weeks this week. >> reporter: because of that, heritage academy, a private christian school in hagerstown, maryland, says she won't be joining her 14 classmates when they get their diplomas next week. >> that is everything i worked so hard for, and that's a night to acknowledge it. graduation is a very big deal, and i will be the only one not there to celebrate it with my friends. >> reporter: maddie says it was a difficult decision to keep the baby, and tell the school she was pregnant. >> my principal told me he wanted to hold an assembly, tell people what happened. speak to them and havehim. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, principal david hubb said the school is now being bullied. "please tell america that we are not disciplining maddie because she chose to keep her baby boy. for that we commend her." >> the issue is a standard of abstinence. >> reporter: students and their parents required by the

maddy has a 4.0 gpa and was student counsel president. when administrators at the small private christian school found out she was pregnant, they suspended her for two days and told her she would not be allowed to walk at graduation. they say she should be punished because she broke the abstinence pledge. >> when maddie planned to breech the rules, she had to be punished. >> she'll still receive her high school diploma. they have planned an alternative graduation ceremony. >> the school board is pushing start times forward by minutes. the new schedules will take place this fall. this change allows bus drivers to make additional runs reducing pressure from a bus driver shortage. >>> a man's best friend -- there's a new keep sake. >> look how cute this is. >> students at stafford high school in stafford county, they were pleasantly surprised to see a classmate's service dog. he has type i diabetes. the dog alpha helps monitor his blood sugar. he's one of the most popular students in school. >> i bet he is. >> so the school agreed to let alp

earlier this week we told you about maddy runkle.he has a 4.0 gpa and was student council president. when administrators found out she was pregnant they suspended her for two days and told her she wouldn't be allowed to walk at graduation. the principal size she chose to breach a standard. >> she's not being disciplined because she decided to keep the baby. >> maddy will still receive her diploma. her parents have planned an alternative graduation ceremony for their daughter. >>> you're going to love this next story. a virginia couple has been trying to have a child for 17 years. now they have take a look there. >> look at them. >> the mother gave birth to the babies earlier this month, three boys, three girls. >> perfect family there. >> they're tiny. not even one of them weighing three pounds. we're told everyone is doing well. they're at the children's hospital of d.c. >> so happy for them. we'll pray for them as well. going from zero to six. >> my gosh. >> that's a lot of work. >> you have three -- >> i mean, that's hard enough.

this next one's from maddie, she's 9 years old. "dear jimmy, hi i am maddie, i'm 9.t you to do something. my brother is really mean to me, when you read this letter say "james, stop being a butt to maddie for me, thanks, bye now." p.s. your thank you notes are funny. [ light laughter ] james, if you're watching, james, can we zoom in? stop being a butt to maddie! [ cheers and applause ] >> steve: jiminy cricket. >> jimmy: grow up! she could have made the whole thing up. i don't know. okay, this is a long one. it's from kelly. she's 10 years old. she said, "hey, i love your show. i love your tv show, you're awesome. i like you, and that guy who stands by the microphone." [ light laughter ] >> steve: aw. >> jimmy: "you two make me laugh. you should give the guy who stands at the microphone a a seat. his legs must get tired." [ laughter ] >> steve: yeah. >> jimmy: "anyway. anyway, i'm in fifth grade, and i like manatees, llamas, and elephants. i really like pusheen -- pusheen the cat. i drew you a picture of you as pusheen on the back. i hope your show goes well. i'm 10

. >> i told maddie, if one day i say duck, it means the chair is coming flying at you and i've done theest i could, you know what i mean. >> reporter: to tell a story and send a message. >> the visual of what maddie brings is exquisite. >> reporter: at the end of the show, everyone around me said, does she really need that chair? >> really? >> reporter: yeah. >> wow. actually, i take it as a compliment they think i'm doing all of this through acting. they must think i'm a good actor. >> reporter: truth and illusion collide and shatter on stage and off. ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >> it is a remarkable performance. that is "nbc nightly news" this sunday night. lester holt will be reporting from jerusalem as the president visits israel tomorrow. i'm kate snow in new york. for all of us here at nbc news, have a great night. another day of hot weather >>> right now at 6:00, another day of hot weather around the bay area and that led to concerns about air quality. >>> the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening, thank you for joining us, i'm terry mcsweeney. >> and i'm peggy bunker

. >> reporter: one of those students maddie gained success, starring in music videos. ♪ i'm going toocketing to fame. after six seasons maddie decided to walk away from miller and the show. >> oh my god, what is mentally wrong with you? >> reporter: my colleague abbie boudreau interviewed the 14-year-old and her mother earlier this year. >> yeah, my sister and i were like, that's the -- >> they were finished. >> did you ever have that moment as a mother, "dance moms," this is breaking my daughter's spirit? >> yeah, my gosh, absolutely. all the time. >> i was stressed out as a 12-year-old. like that's just really weird to me. but now i just have so much weight off my shoulders. i can just live my life and do something without worrying and thinking, oh, i'm going to get yelled at if i do this. now i can just do whatever i want. >> reporter: miller announced her departure from the lifetime series in march on instagram writing, i will no longer take part in "dance moms." for the past six years, seven seasons, i have asked, begged, demanded creative credit for all the ideas, award-winning

i'm sorry do you like it here maddie? i love you. i love you too.i> >> the arrests were part of a six week initiative to combat gang violence. >> if you have a bmw you better listen up. a new report has found you spend -- there's been more than 40 cases of bmws catching fire. all the cars were parked. none of these cars have been recalled. bmw blames improper maintenance and even rodents for the fires. >> scary stuff. all right, as jay-z would say, are you ready for this wisdom, can i get an encore? do you want more? want me to keep my day job. >> i don't want more. >> don't shake your e head like that. jay-z is giving an encore to his fans. he inked a 200 million-dollar deal to go on tour for the next 10 years. >> 10 years. >> 10 years. >> that's an old rapper. a 15-year-old has just inked a deal with the nba and he's not even playing basketball. he's making handmade bow and neck ties. >> nice. >> messiah bridges got that deal. distributing through the company's online store as well as retail outlets. this deal could lead to him earning seven figur