Starting next school year, students in the Blue Valley School District will face new course requirements for graduation.

At its Nov. 13 meeting, the Blue Valley Board of Education approved new graduation requirements for high school students.

The new guidelines will first go into effect for the graduating class of 2028, or this year’s eighth graders.

The district added new electives and “employability” courses

• Next fall’s incoming freshmen — and all freshmen thereafter — will need to complete a new half credit in communications.
• Options for coursework include classes like broadcast, media productions, speech or debate.
• The district will also require a STEM elective, such as business law, field biology, meteorology or computer graphics.

Students must also volunteer or do something extracurricular

• The new guidelines also require students to complete two ‘post-secondary assets” — such as an apprenticeship, two or more high school extracurriculars, or 40+ hours of community service.
• Students will also be required to complete a new half credit of financial literacy.
• However, the district will no longer require a technology credit requirement or FAFSA completion.

The changes came from new state requirements

• Last fall, the Kansas State Board of Education adjusted statewide graduation requirements for high school students.
• The Blue Valley School District’s proposed changes to graduation requirements generally follow the state’s new guidelines — particularly the requirements of half a unit of communications, one unit of a STEM elective and half a unit of financial literacy.
• State requirements and Blue Valley’s remain the same for society and humanities courses (like history and fine arts).

Go deeper: Blue Valley considers new high school graduation requirements