Regarding the 2023 Bryant High School Commencement Ceremony, the Bryant Public Schools Secondary Handbook states that students “who do not ride the bus to and from graduation practice will not be allowed to participate in graduation without prior approval from the principal.”
The policy was put in place over ten years ago due to several students having automobile accidents on the way to graduation practice. The reason for this requirement not only has to do with student safety (over 600 students driving to and from Little Rock) but also the need to adequately prepare for a dignified graduation ceremony involving a large number of students and the many logistics involved with that process. Additionally, the graduation venue could not accommodate 600 plus individual vehicles for weekday parking. It would not have been possible for significant numbers of students to drive to the venue on their own and find a place to park.
Students and parents were notified multiple times about the requirement to be present and load the buses for graduation practice at 8:30am. Yesterday, the buses for graduation practice were scheduled to leave at 9:00am, but did not leave until 9:20am to account for any students who might have been late or for other logistical issues. Over 600 students arrived on time to ride the buses to graduation practice.
Only one student came directly to the venue without having prior approval to do so. No other student eligible for graduation, or who chose to participate in the graduation ceremony, missed the bus for graduation practice without having prior approval for alternate arrangements. Any allegation that similarly situated students were treated differently is completely false.
We understand the importance of graduation ceremonies to students and their families. We have reached out to the student, who is now an adult, for further explanation of why the student did not, or was unable to, meet this requirement or seek prior approval from the principal to make alternate arrangements.
We ask parents, guardians and members of the Bryant community to remember that social media may not always contain correct, accurate or truthful information. Bryant Public Schools always wants to communicate with parents and the community. In matters of student concern, the specifics of those communications must, by law, be between the district and the student’s parents or guardians, or with the student if 18 or older.