2 Beaufort County high school graduation dates changed. Here’s the complete schedule
For the first time in years, some Beaufort County School District graduation ceremonies will take place after the teachers’ last day, and the last ceremony will be a full week after school ends for students.
The school board had approved the previous calendar in March with graduation dates already set for after the school year ended. On Monday two dates for graduation were proposed to change — both still after school ends for students — due to construction conflicts, according to Chief Instructional Officer Mary Stratos.
During the Dec. 13 board meeting, seven board members voted to change the graduation calendar, two abstained and one voted against the motion.
Ingird Boatright, the sole “no” vote, said it’s the first time she’s seen graduations take place this late since 2013.
She raised the question: If dates can be changed because of construction, why can’t they be changed to accommodate parent scheduling concerns?
Boatright said that, after the board first approved the calendar, parents voiced concern that teachers wouldn’t attend ceremonies because they were after teachers’ last day.
There’s a lot of frustration and upset parents over the fact that graduations are currently after school ends,” Boatright said at the meeting. “There’s a lot of concern that it will not have the same effect. The teachers will be gone.”
Students are mandated by the South Carolina Department of Education to have a certain amount of instruction, or “seat hours,” before they can graduate, and if graduation was held earlier, students wouldn’t meet requirements, according to the district.
“I think it’s odd that half the graduations are going to occur before school is over, and half are at a disadvantage,” Boatright said. “What was told when the parents found out was that we couldn’t change it because of ‘seat hours,’ but now we are changing it because there’s a construction conflict?”
The last day of school for students is a half-day on Friday, June 2. The last day for teachers is Tuesday, June 6. Graduations start June 2 and go through June 9.
All graduations will take place at the respective schools at 7 p.m., despite the calendar previously having Beaufort High School’s listed at 10 a.m.
The complete schedule is:
- Battery Creek High School’s graduation moved from June 8 to June 2.
- May River High School on June 5.
- Beaufort High School on June 6.
- Bluffton High School on June 7.
- Whale Branch High School’s graduation moved from June 10 to June 8.
- Hilton Head High School on June 9.
- Makeup graduations, in the case of rain or other circumstances, would be June 10.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 11:37 AM.
