Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore shared some good news with BHS seniors on Friday night, April 21: The high school graduation ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 4, as it was originally planned.

“I am writing to inform you that we have just received very positive news from Education Commissioner Infante-Green based on our formal request to waive the 171 school day requirement for graduation for the Class of 2023,” Messore wrote in an email to students and their families. “As a result, graduation will be held on June 4, 2023, at 2:00 PM, and seniors will receive their Barrington High School Diploma at that time.”

The email ended a tense 28 hours for seniors at Barrington High School. 

Late Thursday afternoon, Messore had notified families that the BHS graduation ceremony was being delayed a week because seniors did not have the required 171 days in class. 

The email failed to explain why school officials had not properly planned out the school calendar or how the former School Committee had voted to approve the flawed school calendar.

Senior students and their families called school officials, sent emails, posted messages online and even attended the Barrington School Committee meeting Thursday night. During a public comment period, about a half-dozen students and parents shared their frustrations about the situation and the inconvenience it was creating for their friends and family members. They also offered suggestions about how officials could keep the ceremony on the June 4 date. 

Messore said he had reached out to RI Department of Education Commission Angelica Infanté-Green and requested a waiver for the 171-day requirement. 

By Friday afternoon, news had spread that the waiver had been granted. 

“We have been provided assurance from RIDE that students have received the equivalent minutes of 171 school days as a result of our additional academic minutes and only one snow day incurred this year,” Messore wrote in his email. 

Messore also shared an apology with BHS seniors and their families. 

“We sincerely apologize for the trauma, stress, and interruption caused by our April 20 communication regarding the change in graduation date,” he wrote. “We know graduation is an important and exciting milestone in our seniors’ lives and we are very glad that our seniors and families will have the opportunity to experience this important event together as originally planned.”