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Parents and residents urge Monongalia County board to apologize, change graduation scheduling
Summary
Two public commenters told the Monongalia County Board of Education that May 22 graduation planning ignored repeated rain forecasts, produced damaged gowns and photos, and left families with impossible scheduling conflicts; they asked the board to apologize and pledge scheduling changes for 2027.
Alyssa Gregg, a Monongalia County resident and parent of a member of University High School’s Class of 2026, told the Monongalia County Board of Education on June 9 that decisions to hold multiple high school graduations at the same time on May 22 were unacceptable and warranted a formal apology.
"The class of 2026 deserves a formal apology from this board as do their parents," Gregg said, summarizing a list of problems she attributed to the board’s choice to proceed despite repeated rain forecasts. She said forecasts, tracked for seven days before the ceremonies, showed near-certain inclement weather in the window for graduation and that families faced "ruined caps and gowns, water damaged diplomas, and graduation photos featuring students in tattered plastic ponchos." (Alyssa Gregg, public comment.)
The complaint cited a countywide scheduling decision that placed all graduations at the same time, forcing families with graduates at multiple schools to choose which ceremony to attend. Judith Lindhardt, another resident who spoke later in the public-comment period, said she will continue attending meetings until the board provides an "official notice" that future graduations will not be scheduled at the same date and time for all three high schools.
Both speakers urged the board to adopt clearer contingency plans for bad weather and to prioritize venue and time choices that allow families to attend and celebrate graduates without conflict. Neither speaker reported receiving a direct response from the board during their remarks; board policy on public participation, read earlier by the presiding officer, states that the board will not answer questions from speakers during the comment period.
The public comments came during the board’s regular June 9 meeting, where the board otherwise conducted routine business including contract approvals and personnel actions. The board did not take a formal vote on a motion to apologize during the meeting; next procedural steps on graduation scheduling were not announced at the session.
