District eases graduation requirements for some seniors

NEW HAVEN — More than 1,200 seniors will march across the stages at 10 district high school graduations this June.

No one in the audiences will know that the diplomas some students receive will be general New Haven Public Schools diplomas and not the more stringent ones specific to the school they attended over the past four years.

Thank the pandemic for that.

Like it did for the class of 2021 — which faced a truncated junior year and largely remote senior year — the Board of Education voted this week to allow any student who has met a minimum of 25 credits, including state-mandated requirements in English, math, social studies, science, physical education, arts and world language, to graduate.

The board vote extends not only to the class of

2022, but those in 2023 and 2024, as well.

Past that, the board will let its Teaching and Learning and Governance committees decide how to proceed.

District officials could not immediately say how many students had taken advantage of the exception in 2021, but did note that New Haven graduation requirements exceed state requirements.

With unique themes, some New Haven High Schools require different graduation requirements that extend to 29 credits.

At Hill Regional Career High School, for instance,

students need to take Latin, according to Assistant Superintendent of Schools Paul Whyte.

Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School requires 8 art courses to graduate. The Sound School, a regional aquaculture school, requires courses related to agro-science, and New Haven Academy has a social action capstone, junior thesis and literature study requirement.

Board member Edward Joyner, in an online meeting of the board this week, noted that even with the exceptions, New Haven students will graduate with 25 credits, or more.

At that meeting, board member Darnell Goldson sought assurances that graduates, regardless of the diploma they collect, would be able to participate fully in graduation activities for their respective schools and not be singled out during graduation ceremonies.

“Last year a number of students benefited,” Whyte said. “No one knew any different.”

Board member Abie Benetiz asked that schools make sure that happens again going forward.

Hearst Connecticut Media file photo The New Haven Board of Education voted this week to allow any student who has met a minimum of 25 credits to graduate.