A year ago, everyone celebrated and supported last years seniors as the world was falling apart due to COVID-19. That was the right thing to do. None of us could imagine, a year later, the long-term impact -emotionally, developmentally, academically – on the class of 2021 would be so much worse. Our Senior Class has lost so many activities, events and rites of passage due to the pandemic. No matter how difficult, they have done so with compassion and grace. They have looked through their tears with understanding and patience. Putting their faith in the hands of school administration to recognize all they have accomplished, and all that has been taken from them.

It takes 13 years to earn your senior year and ALL that comes along with that. There is no "you'll get next year" this is it! Yet their entire year has been restricted by COVID-19. Every single aspect, field trips, choir performances, sports, plays, musicals, senior pictures, senior class trip, and school, in general, have all been either cancelled or drastically changed.  Edison High School should be celebrating the seniors’ perseverance and resilience instead of continually threatening and taking things away from them.

 When a decision to host an outdoor prom, we felt someone finally thought through what was best for all the kids.  SENIOR prom, will be one night of somewhat normal. The kids were ecstatic because they could bring a guest! And then this gift was ripped from them as well. Our seniors are devastated that once again they are being punished, how much more can these poor kids be expected to shoulder?

We the parents of the class of 2021 are writing to you because we can no longer stand by and watch as you continue to take from our children. Instead of feeling supported by the administration, the seniors have been let down again! Where is the compassion for what these kids have been burdened with? Did anyone stop to consider after all these kids have been made to endure how this would affect the them? Many of them have given up and I wonder if that is how you want them to remember Edison High School. We have an opportunity to change that so they graduate thinking, my school community cared about me.

The regulations are loosening up as far as the number of people allowed at indoor events, and people are moving forward (and our prom is set outdoors). Unless staff and students stay completely quarantined outside of school there is no added risk to inviting guests to prom because they are seeing these people on a regular basis regardless. It can be possible for all underclassmen dates and dates from other schools to get Covid tested to attend the Edison High School Prom. Other, larger school districts (Manchester, Toms River, Brick to name a few), are making the seniors’ celebrations a priority, by allowing them to bring dates from other schools and grades, we are compiling a list. We are imploring you to make our Seniors feel valued. Allow them their Senior prom with dates. Some children have social anxiety (bringing a friend can help them not feel as scared in a large group of people) or have been with their partners for years and this night would be special for them with they have someone they love by their side. 

We request a meeting with the Superintendent, Principal and Vice Principal to discuss senior prom, graduation and anything else we can do for our kids. We would like transparency and communication with all the rest of the events for this year. We would like to see an accounting of the funds that have been raised to pay for our seniors’ prom. Our seniors are depending on you to make this right.  We look forward to meeting with you to discuss all these other matters.