Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Residents urge district to move Highlands graduation to larger, ADA-accessible venue
Summary
Dozens of residents and recent graduates urged the Fort Thomas Independent Board of Education to relocate Highlands High School commencement to a larger, fully ADA-compliant site beginning with the Class of 2026, citing overcrowding, accessibility barriers and last-minute venue changes that limited family attendance.
Dozens of community members told the Fort Thomas Independent Board of Education on Monday that Highlands High School’s current graduation venue excludes family members and creates safety and access problems, and asked the board and district leaders to choose an off-site, larger, ADA‑compliant location for the Class of 2026 and beyond.
The board heard more than a dozen public comments during the community forum portion of the meeting, including a prepared statement from Melissa Shell, a resident, who told Superintendent Robinson and the board the school venue “doesn't meet fire code capacity for the size of our graduating class and their guests. It also isn't fully ADA compliant.” Shell said moving the ceremony to an accessible venue would “show that we care about every student and every family.”
Nut graf: Speakers across generations — recent graduates, parents and longtime residents — said the current arrangements force families to…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
