HIDOE Announces 2022 Graduation Days

Public high school graduation ceremonies have been scheduled for the Class of 2022.

Officials with the Hawaii Department of Education announced ceremony guidelines are being eased to reflect less restrictive COVID-19 health and safety requirements across the state, but certain restrictions will still apply to attendees.

“We are tremendously proud of our seniors for all they have accomplished to reach this milestone. I’m excited to see our graduates embark on their next journey and the positive impact they’ll make for Hawai‘i,” interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. “As our ceremonies continue to adapt to improving conditions, this year’s celebrations will be more open than the virtual and drive-thru ceremonies of 2020 and the hybrid ceremonies of 2021, while adhering to current guidelines. We thank our students, families and schools for working together to keep all participants as safe as possible during these well-deserved celebrations.”

In addition to the HIDOE’s standard health and safety protocols and county-level social gathering regulations, commencement events must adhere to guidelines that include:

• All participants must be fully vaccinated or provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 48 hours prior to the ceremony. If someone unvaccinated has no symptoms of illness and no known exposure to someone with COVID-19, a negative COVID-19 self-test result is sufficient.
• Graduates will be allowed to bring a pre-set number of household members as ceremony guests. The number of guests will be determined by each school based on capacity.
• Masks must be worn at all times for indoor ceremonies. Masks worn indoors may be removed briefly for picture-taking.
• Ceremonies must be held outdoors or in a venue with adequate ventilation or fans/filtration systems. Third-party venues that comply with county social gathering rules are allowed.

The guidance is subject to change as we get closer to scheduled ceremonies.

Schools will be sharing logistical details with parents and guardians. An overview of statewide commencement celebrations is below, based on the latest information available. This list will be updated on the Department’s website as needed. For more information, families are encouraged to contact their child’s school directly.