District seeks stakeholder feedback after Tech graduation disturbance; police charged five people

Assistant Superintendent Jason Harris told the District 742 Board of Education the district will gather stakeholder feedback and develop an action plan after an incident involving spectators at the Tech High School graduation. “We had an unfortunate situation at the Tech graduation,” Harris said, and the district intends to focus its review on safety, belonging and collaboration.
The district’s immediate aim is to collect actionable input from students, families, building principals and law enforcement. Harris said the district will distribute surveys in August and September targeted at the class of 2025 graduates, the current class of 2026 and the junior class of 2027. He said administrators will compile responses, highlight themes and present principals’ recommendations to the board on Oct. 15.
The Saint Cloud Police Department issued a press release in the days after the ceremony charging five people in connection with the incident; Harris confirmed the department reported “five individuals that took part or charged out.”
Why it matters: The district said the incident generated significant media attention despite being a small number of people, and officials want to prevent repeat problems at future commencement events while preserving dignity and recognition for graduates.
Planned steps and topics under review include surveys and optional listening sessions, event floor plans and venue layout, crowd control and supervision, communications before and after events, accessibility and inclusion, and enforcement expectations such as noise and behavior standards. Harris said the district will incorporate data from the graduation team and Saint Cloud police as part of the review.
Board members pressed for clarity on the review’s objectives. Board Member Al Dahlgren suggested the district first define the purpose of graduation — whether it is primarily for students, families or the wider community — so the survey can target the right outcomes. Harris agreed and said the team will look for themes that address “dignity and recognition of each graduate” as well as safety.
No policy changes or disciplinary outcomes were announced at the meeting; the agenda item was informational and the district scheduled further discussion and implementation planning in October.