Is the Last Day of School for Hudson High Seniors Too Late in the Year?

The last day of school—and graduation—for seniors at Hudson High School is one of the latest dates in the area, and the Hudson Board of Education may look into making a change.

“With our graduation being virtually the latest that I’m aware of in the area—on either side of the river—it puts our seniors at a disadvantage having to take finals a day or two before a graduation ceremony that is in the middle of June,” School Board Member Jamie Johnson said.

The primary driver in looking at changing the date for graduation is to allow seniors to get out and get summer jobs or internships before heading off to secondary education or move on with life in the private sector.

This year, the last day of school for seniors was June 12. Graduation was held on June 15.

When Johnson was in school, he said graduation was the third Friday in May.

“Since then, there have been changes in the legislature, so lot of this is dictated by the fact that the school year starts after (Sept. 1),” Johnson said. “However, school boards can and do have flexibility in setting when the seniors have completed their learning. So the question is: When is a good time for that?”

By law, school can’t start before September 1.

One option the committee looked at is moving the last day of school being before Memorial Day weekend, or even making graduation on Memorial Day weekend.

“But I don’t know how that would be received,” Johnson said, “I know a lot of people go up north to cabins and such.”

Another possibility is moving the ceremony to the first Saturday in June, or keeping it as is, on the third Saturday in June.

The Board did not take action following the discussion.

Johnson suggested Board members talk with parents of incoming seniors to get their thoughts on the possibility of moving graduation up a couple of weeks.