For the class of 2020, many goals and milestones have been cancelled due to COVID-19, including sports seasons, school sponsored trips, and academic opportunities. It’s been extremely hard to give up so many experiences that we should have had in this last semester of our senior year, but we have understood it's for the best, and we are grateful for all that our schools, teachers and school district have done to make sure we are safe and well educated during this uncertain time. But even through these difficult times, we are hopeful that the pandemic will ease enough for us to have at least one experience we’ve looked forward to most of our lives…an in-person graduation ceremony. Graduation is an event that students look forward to for 12+ years, and is the ultimate celebration of hard work. To simply do it through a computer screen and have our diplomas mailed to us would be an extremely disappointing and demotivating end to our public school careers. Please see below a list of proposals that we hope principals and district administration will consider so that we can have a safe, yet celebratory, in-person graduation ceremony. Thank you! 

1 – Postpone Graduation - Since the majority of students stay in state for a few months following graduation, we may get to a point when social restrictions are lifted enough to allow in-person graduations - possibly in June or July. We suggest surveying seniors to have them indicate if they’d attend a postponed ceremony, then mail diplomas to students who wouldn’t attend, or do a small online ceremony to avoid some of the issues outline below, and then plan a ceremony for those who would attend in the summer.

2 - Limit Attendance - A system of assigning a certain number of graduation tickets per student is already used in many other states, so it would not be difficult to implement that in the Davis District. Cutting the guest number down to 2-4 per student could help control crowd size, and more easily maintain social distancing restrictions if needed. Additionally, streaming the ceremony to family/friends that are not able to come because of guest limits could be considered. 

Concerns on Online Graduation

1- Access to Internet and Online Devices - Many students throughout Davis School District do not have reliable access to the internet, some don’t have any access at all, which would restrict some students or their families from being able to attend a virtual graduation. For those who may have access to the internet, many problems could exist with video and audio delays. Whether the student has a reliable connection to the internet or not, delays become an issue. Assuming everyone who wants to support a graduate is allowed to join, there could be a higher potential of overloading a server, thereby causing technical problems and ruining the ceremony.

2- Security Issues - Recently, there have been many incidents in which online meetings of this sort have been disrupted by hackers. Having so many people in one online event could make it more susceptible to hacking and pranks from students and guests. Even with a password to join the meeting, many people could find a way to access it. 

We hope that the district and individual schools consider these suggestions and choose the best plan for the class of 2020.