The Spurs are officially heading to the NBA Finals. While most of San Antonio is rejoicing in epic proportions – even hooping and hollering at their wedding – the NBA schedule continues to loom as a dark cloud over another major life event: high school graduations. In the latest, one of San Antonio’s largest school districts moved Friday graduation ceremonies by two to three hours to avoid frustrating traffic jams.
Some of the Alamo City’s most name-dropped high schools are seeing a big change this week as their seniors bid farewell to their public school days. Jefferson, Lanier and Brackenridge high school graduations will now be between two and three hours earlier, with the first starting at 8 a.m., on Friday, June 5.
Even with the schedule change, it’s going to be cutting it close for Brackenridge students. The graduation starts at 4 p.m., and the Spurs take on the New York Knicks in their second Finals round at 7:30 p.m. that same night.
This change is being hit by strong reactions from parents, both those in total support and those outraged. It’s a change that makes sense considering previous graduation ceremonies on the same day as playoff games reportedly left families and loved ones missing graduates crossing the stage.
Last week, Mendina Valley High School held its graduation at 5:30 p.m. at Freeman Coliseum, just two hours before Spurs tipped off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Traffic backups when parents there for graduation met Spurs fans reportedly left some missing the festivities.
“Several parents missed their kid walking the stage because the traffic was so bad. It took almost an hour just to turn into the parking lot,” one parent wrote in the Medina Valley High School forum on Facebook. The parent said some family members had traveled from out of town — and even overseas while serving in the military — only to miss the ceremony.
Some SAISD parents are crying foul for similar impacts from the graduation time change this weekend. With work schedules shifted and people flying in, folks are concerned a two or three hour schedule change will bar some from making it to graduation.
“Not cool I had several [people] change their work hours around to be able to attend,” Lea Dawn responded to the SAISD announcement. “Now my husband may not even get to watch his daughter graduate.”
Others were quick to counter this, saying it would be just as big a problem if the time hadn’t changed. In fact, many parents and families were glad the school district took action as early as they did, giving parents time to plan.
Students are still required to show up one hour before graduation starts, and the new schedule is as follows: