Some parents of high school students in School District 43 (SD43) are worried that dry grad events may be more challenging to organize — or could even disappear altogether.
More dry grads are being held off-site instead of school gyms, but at least one Tri-City school is getting out of the business completely.
Beginning in 2023–2024, Terry Fox Secondary in Port Coquitlam will no longer assist in organizing and hosting dry grads.
An email sent by principal David Starr to parents said that, after "much deliberation," the administrative team at Terry Fox made the "difficult" decision to end its involvement and supervision of dry grad events — beginning the next school year.
This year's dry grad will take place as usual, but parents are on their own to organize Fox's dry grad, which typically occurs after the commencement and dinner–dance to keep teens from holding private parties that could involve alcohol — and possibly impaired driving.
Communication challenge
"Parents are going to have to be creative if they choose to take on doing a dry grad," said Tabitha McLoughlin, who is helping to organize this year's dry grad for Fox students.
One of the biggest concerns is communicating with parents — to get them involved or to help with fundraising events for the dry grad.
Dry grads typically include big prizes, which need to be purchased or donated, to keep students at the venue, where the party often goes until the wee hours of the morning.
McLoughlin said parents of next year's graduating class will have no way of contacting families to get them involved if the school can't email information about dry grad fundraising events and plans.
"You can’t have meetings in the school. You can’t involve the teachers as supervisors and there's no communication method," McLoughlin said, noting that parents usually start getting contacted in September.
Dry grad fundraisers are another way to get parents involved, but if they involve alcohol, they could be a challenge to host.
Dr. Charles Best Secondary parent Will Davis said these kinds of "galvanizing" events could be on their way out, too.
Davis, who helped to organize a parent dance fundraiser for next year's grad events, said it was the first time the group had to pay to rent the gym, which ate into proceeds.
Serving alcohol was behind the change — a district policy, Davis was told — but he's worried about the future of the event that gets parents involved in dry grad.
Still, Dr. Charles Best principal Heather Murphy confirmed to the Tri-City News that it will continue to support parents in organizing dry grad.
But, similar to Fox parents' plight, Davis is worried about getting word the word out about dry grad fundraisers, if the district won't support them if they involve alcohol.
"I understand that alcohol [at a parents event] might be a reason to be cautious. I don’t know when it became the deal breaker that is," Davis said.
Dry grad may also be facing challenges in other school districts.
Brian Leonard, the president of the B.C. Principals and Vice-principals Association (BCVPA), said some B.C. some schools have decided not to get involved in dry grad.
BCPVPA's job is to provide support to administrators and doesn't have a policy on dry grads, but Leonard said since the pandemic schools are doing things differently.
"We’ve got new ways to celebrate graduation, some ways we aren’t dong anymore, some new ones we're doing, things are evolving," said Leonard.
Legal concerns, liability raised
However, concerns about potential liabilities may be behind the shift, he said.
Indeed, Fox's letter to parents said if they choose to proceed with dry grad they should seek legal advice around liability, insurance and the indemnification.
Other SD43 schools may be distancing themselves from the event.
McLoughlin said she was told that Riverside Secondary is also stepping back from supporting dry grad events.
She has another child about to graduate next year and was hoping to help stage a dry grad event, but was told the school wouldn't email parents on the dry grad committee's behalf.
The Tri-City News has reached out to Riverside and Fox schools for more information about their school's involvement in dry grad, but hasn't heard back.
However, a spokesperson for SD43 said decisions to not get involved in dry grad is up to individual schools.
And parents should talk to their school administration about what's practical and feasible, he said.
"In the case of Terry Fox dry grad, it is a school-based decision not to host the dry grad next year," wrote Ken Hoff, assistant director of communications and​ community relations, in an email to the Tri-City News.
What's feasible and practical?
"It is not a district decision, nor is it a district-wide decision. School administration may choose to supervise or choose the degree to which they help support a dry grad event, as they do any other extracurricular activity,"
He noted, as well, that school Parent Advisory Councils have ways to contact parents without direct involvement by the school administration.
Starr, in his email to Fox parents, said the school could, for example, continue to support any fundraisers that help to reduce the cost of graduation events.
Best's Davis acknowledged that principals have a lot on their plate and are often caught in the middle as the demands on educators grow.
But he and other parents at his school are operating in a vacuum and he said they want clear policies on what schools can and cannot do.
He'll be bringing the matter up at the next District Parent Advisory Council meeting.
Meanwhile, board chair Michael Thomas, and Port Coquitlam trustee, told the Tri-City News he would look into the matter.
