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Hermiston SD 8 board reviews draft policy to standardize graduation stoles and recognitions
Summary
Board members discussed a draft policy to clarify which students may wear organizational stoles or other recognition items at graduation, seeking a carve-out for National Honor Society and rules for other clubs, and directed staff to draft formal language for the next board packet.
Hermiston School District 8 board members spent a work session reviewing draft language that would formalize which students may wear stoles, medallions and other recognition items at graduation ceremonies.
Board members focused on three core criteria the draft would use to qualify an organization or student for a recognition item: the student’s academic standing (GPA), attendance, and that the student is “in good standing” with a parent or national organization that requires service and character standards. Board members repeatedly discussed National Honor Society (NHS) as an obvious example and whether the district should specifically carve NHS out or write a broader standard that other organizations meeting similar requirements could meet.
Members discussed ranges of academic and attendance thresholds raised during the meeting. Several participants cited a 90% attendance standard and a 3.5 cumulative GPA as currently associated with NHS recognition in some chapters, and they debated whether the district should adopt those specific numbers or allow the chapter/parent organization to set service-hour requirements. Board members noted NHS’s own local- chapter practices can vary, including whether the chapter requires one year of active membership for senior recognition.
Board members and administrators also discussed practical implementation: who would verify eligibility, whether high school administration could cross-check GPA and attendance for applicants, how clubs would document service or “good standing,” and whether approving an organization’s traditional stole design should be handled administratively. The group agreed that academic and attendance data are already available in district systems and that club advisors or school administrators could reasonably supply verification for student requests.
Participants raised related questions about other recognitions: program-of-study stoles tied to completion of specific career/technical coursework, athletic honors (WIAA/NFHS affiliations), and cultural or heritage items (for example, Native American items or Hawaiian leis). Board members said the draft should keep the process simple, require administrative approval of the specific stole or item to avoid ad‑hoc decorations, and preserve the dignity of the ceremony by limiting excess or conflicting items.
No formal policy vote was taken at the work session. Board members directed staff to draft revised policy language reflecting the conversation, to consult Hermiston High School administration (specifically the school official who manages graduation logistics) about feasibility and timing, and to include the revised language in the next board packet for formal consideration. Board members noted the possibility of treating a late-year approval as an emergency item if timing requires, but they did not commit to an emergency action.
The board said the goal of a clearer policy is procedural: to provide guardrails so administration can approve recognized stoles consistently, to reduce last-minute requests, and to ensure that recognized items reflect academic rigor, service and character standards rather than informal popularity or fashion choices.
The draft policy will return to the board after staff and administrators prepare language and implementation details for formal review and possible adoption at a subsequent meeting.
