The graduation rules in place for the Class of 2020 are very unnecessary and do not have the best interests of the graduates at heart. Each bullet point is a district rule. 

• Each graduate is allowed only two guests (a child of any age counts as a guest)

This is totally unfair for families: many families have step-parents, siblings, and/or grandparents that have had a tremendous impact on a graduate’s life. We suggest four tickets be given and allow children two and younger to attend without a ticket. We also suggest that each of the graduate’s guests still sit together in the stands. Our neighboring county (Kershaw County) was one of the hardest hit counties in South Carolina and they have allowed four tickets to be given to each graduate. Thankful, Lancaster County has not effected nearly as bad.

• Each graduate must sit with their guests

We suggest graduates be allowed to sit on the field at a safe distance from each other. This will allow graduates to graduate as a class. 

• Each graduate must walk across the field with their two guests

This moment is for the graduates, not their parents. Their parents want to watch, enjoy, and cheer on their graduates, not take away attention from them.  Again, allowing the graduates to sit on the field and the parents in the stands will solve this issue. 

• Graduates will sit in the stands as they arrive, and not in traditional class rank or alphabetical order.

This completely disregards the hard-work the graduates have put in the past four years. By not sitting in order of rank, the district is telling our graduates that hard-work and dedication doesn’t matter. Again, we suggest that graduates be allowed to sit on the field in order of rank. 

• After each graduate walks across they will exit to the parking lot.

The last graduate will have NO ONE in the stadium but their two guest and a few staff members to cheer them on. Again, this is saying our graduate’s hard-work and dedication does not matter. We suggest after calling every graduate’s name go back and recall them so each graduate and their guests can exit safely and every graduate will have the same number of people there cheering them on. 

• Diplomas will be given as the graduate leaves the stadium.  

The whole point of having a graduation ceremony is for the graduate to get their diploma as they cross the stage and enter into a new chapter of life. We suggest that the diplomas be put on stage for the graduate to pick-up as they cross the stage. This does not put anyone in harms way and still allows for each graduate to have their moment on the stage. 

The motto for LCSD is “putting our children first” but the rules currently in place for graduation clearly put our graduates last. The rule changes we have proposed still allow us to honor our graduates while still being safe. 

Thank you for your consideration! With your help we will right this wrong.