Snow storms and school closures force Bellingham Public schools to delay graduation
January’s series of snow storms and the resulting school closures have forced Bellingham Public Schools to postpone high school graduation by one week, though those dates could change again if more closures are needed in February.
Due to the closures that resulted from winter storms that hit the area the week of Jan. 13, Superintendent Greg Baker announced the rescheduling of the tentative graduation dates in a letter to students, staff and families Monday, Feb. 3.
“Depending on whether you believe what the groundhog says, we still have about six more weeks of winter to get through, so we haven’t officially released a new last day of school,” Baker wrote in the letter. “That said, it’s likely that we will add days to the end of the year. We have had four snow days thus far, so we expect the last day to be June 17, or possibly later if we get more snow days.”
Baker wrote that the graduation dates, which were initially set on a tentative basis last fall, will not be locked until Feb. 28.
The district’s new tentative graduation dates and times will be:
▪ Bellingham High School: 5 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Bellingham High.
▪ Sehome High School: 7 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Sehome High.
▪ Squalicum High School: 10 a.m. Saturday, June 13, at Squalicum High School.
▪ Options High School: 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 15, at Options High School.
▪ Community Transitions: 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal.
“We appreciate your understanding; there is no perfect answer when it comes to school schedules, including graduation dates and snow make-up days,” Baker wrote. “We do our best to meet the variety of scheduling needs of our students, staff and families.”
