After Governor Cooper’s Executive Order 141 was released, several of us had questions about the ramifications of one sentence about mass gatherings. “The prohibition on Mass Gatherings also does not apply to educational institutions or government operations.” I spoke with attorneys Pat Smathers and Dean Shatley as well as the superintendents in the region last Thursday. The consensus at that time was the sentence dealt with institutional operations not ceremonies.
To assure we understood the sentence correctly, several of us sent messages to the state asking for clarification. I posted a request for clarification on the Governor’s Facebook Messenger site. On Saturday, May 23, 2020, I received the following message. “Hi, we also have additional information regarding graduation ceremonies added to our FAQ on order 141: https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/Phase-2-FAQ.pdf. Thanks.” The FAQ now has a link for graduation ceremonies. It is the exact same guidance that we were given on May 1, 2020 (https://drive.google.com/file/d/139JwUQDGB7HGWgHxZ817RNvOXtVNFaN3/view). The document lists examples of permissible ceremonies:
Drive-in: Families may arrive and remain seated in cars, which allows for minimal physical engagement. This can be done at movie drive-ins, large parking lots (like malls), or at other similar venues. Weather considerations related to heat and rain should be addressed, especially as all cars would need to be turned off in order to conduct the ceremony. Safe walking pathways should be outlined for graduates to exit their vehicles and safely collect their diplomas. Similarly, large projected screens and sound equipment may be required. Consideration should be given for students and families without access to vehicles.
Drive-through: Similar to above, families may arrive and remain seated in cars, which allows for minimal physical engagement. A pre-recorded or live ceremony could be broadcast (which will require sound, broadcast, and/or radio equipment). At the conclusion of the ceremony, cars would proceed through a predetermined course that allows the graduate to drive-through and collect the diploma. Students could either remain in the vehicle or exit the vehicle and follow an outlined path to safely collect their diplomas. Individualized Ceremony: Schedule students to arrive in predetermined and specifically timed waves to enter the building and collect their diplomas.
Hybrid/Video: Districts or schools deploy one of the strategies listed above while also recording the graduates receiving diplomas. Video is spliced and the entire graduation is provided on-demand or aired at a predetermined time.
A small number of school systems in North Carolina are postponing ceremonies until July or August. We have not done that for a couple of reasons. The state feedback we are receiving indicates there will likely be group gathering size limits for schools and other organizations going into the fall. We have also had some families tell us their graduate may not be available to attend a ceremony in the late summer or fall.
Contact: Dr. Bill Nolte, Superintendent