Residents urge district to move Highlands graduation to larger, ADA-accessible venue

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 choose which relatives attend, create difficulties for people with mobility limitations and leave seniors feeling the ceremony was rushed or impersonal when plans were changed at the last minute.

Parents and graduates described repeated examples. Molly Wagner, who identified herself as a Highlands graduate, said she had to fight for a fourth ticket this year and recited specific capacity numbers she said were at issue: she told the board that a prior graduating class counted 223 students and that, “per code,” the stage size limits the number of people who can be onstage and that the building-packed seating figure of 908 meant graduates’ ticket allocations consumed most of the space for other participants and volunteers.

Multiple speakers cited accessibility concerns. Melissa Shell described a family member with partial paralysis who uses a cane or walker and said the current configuration would make attending “incredibly difficult and potentially unsafe.” Jody Shipp related seeing a guest struggle with stairs at the venue and said, “that’s not right.” Several speakers asked the district to avoid last‑minute “plan B” moves that reduce ticket availability and limit which family members can attend.

Speakers suggested practical remedies: permanently reserving a larger off‑site facility (parents recalled local college arenas used by other districts), conducting a district‑wide survey of students and families about preferences, and committing to one predetermined site well before graduation so families can plan travel and seating. Pam Schultz, an incoming senior who addressed the board, said the ceremony should “honor and celebrate every student's achievement in a way that honors their journey.”

District response and next steps: Superintendent Robinson told speakers the board historically has established parameters but not dictated specific graduation sites, and that site‑based councils and administrators typically inform location decisions. Robinson said he would consult with the site‑based council and bring the conversation back to the board, and that he expected further open discussions “very soon.” He did not announce a binding change or a final venue.

What was not decided: The board did not vote on any change to graduation site during the meeting. Several speakers requested a permanent move beginning with the Class of 2026; the board indicated it would solicit input from the school’s site‑based council, the administration and the community before making any formal decision.

Ending: Parents and students asked the board to prioritize inclusion and planning for future ceremonies so that the community need not face the repeated ticket limitations and accessibility barriers described during the forum. The board said it would continue to gather input and return to the topic for future board-level discussion.