Montgomery County school district changes practice on graduation ceremonies
Following the approval by the school board of Montgomery County, Maryland, of a high school’s plan to hold graduation ceremonies at a church, Superintendent Jerry D. Weast has announced that the Montgomery County school district will pay to hold the ceremony at the Comcast Center on the campus of the University of Maryland. The announcement eliminates a potential legal threat from advocates of the separation of church and state. It also reverses a MCPS practice of contributing only a portion of a school's graduation costs while calling on parents to raise the rest. The district will now pay the full cost of every 2007 graduation, a sum of $125,000. The issue came to a head when parents at Montgomery Blair High School (MBHS), saying they lacked funds for the more expensive rental fees at the Comcast Center, sought school board approval to hold commencement at a local church. The board approved the plan even though the superintendent previously had rejected it. Mr. Weast and the school board have forbidden schools to use churches as graduation venues since 2005. The superintendent’s decision staved off a potential lawsuit by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Barry W. Lynn, the group’s executive director, praises Mr. Weast's move as "a very wise, very fair decision that has essentially removed a giant sign saying 'Sue me' from the Blair High School graduation."
Washington Post
By Daniel de Vise
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