Eden Prairie changes graduation date, citing community demand

After more than a week of community pressure, Eden Prairie Schools has announced that it will retract the originally announced Class of 2025 graduation date and instead offer alternative dates that do not coincide with any major religious holidays.

The initial date of Saturday, June 7, conflicts with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. It’s estimated that about 20% of Eden Prairie High School’s students are Muslim, according to the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, meaning that many students would have to choose between observing the holiday and a major educational milestone and rite of passage.

Many members of the Eden Prairie Schools community, particularly the Muslim community, reacted with dismay to the June 7 date. Many held meetings with district leaders, sent messages and spoke at the school board business meeting on Jan. 27 to protest the decision and lobby for change.

In an email sent to families on Friday, the district said it would text a survey with three new potential dates to families of senior students so they could pick their top options, with a survey deadline of noon on Monday, Feb. 3.

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“Over the last week since announcing our ceremony date, we’ve heard feedback that we are not meeting our goal of a ceremony where all students can attend and we can celebrate together as a community,” said Superintendent Josh Swanson.

“For that, I apologize,” he continued. “No one should ever feel like they aren’t an important and valued member of our Eden Prairie Schools community. As a school district, our job is to bring our community together – it’s the reason we’re all Eagles. And no one should feel left behind.”

He added, “In a time when nearly everything is hyper-polarized, I believe it’s important to pause, to listen, and to share accurate information. Rather than just giving soundbites, I want to provide a full picture of what we knew as we were making decisions about this year’s ceremony and the ways in which we intentionally worked to gather and respond to community input after last year’s graduation.”

In a lengthy email that followed, he explained how and why the district chose the date and why it believed the date would suit the diverse Eden Prairie community.

The three options in the survey are listed below, with some additional context for each:

• Option 1: Wednesday, June 4, at U.S. Bank Stadium. This would be an evening ceremony. Seniors’ last day of school would be Tuesday, June 3.
• Option 2: Wednesday, June 11, at 3M Arena at Mariucci. There would be no time restriction on this ceremony. Seniors’ last day would be Friday, June 6.
• Option 3: Wednesday, June 11, at Eden Prairie High School. There would be no time restriction on this ceremony. Seniors’ last day would be Friday, June 6, and each graduate would be limited to two tickets for family and friends.

The full message can be read on the district’s website.

Francesca Pagan-Umar, the parent of a graduating senior, said, “I’m so relieved and grateful that the district agreed to change graduation to a day that doesn’t exclude students based on religion.”

She said she also felt sad for families who were inconvenienced by the change or unhappy with the new date options and understood how they might feel. “We asked at the Jan. 24 meeting for the district to communicate that the date was under review and could change, but they declined,” she said. “Hopefully, this is a learning lesson for everyone, and the district will recognize the need to set major holidays as days off because it prevents mistakes like this.”

Fadumo Hassan, another Eden Prairie Schools parent who advocated for a new date, said, “The EP district respects and honors its diverse students and staff, and to recognize their mistake and correct it was the right thing to do.”