ALL our graduating classes of 2020 deserve to be honored & celebrated in an in-person ceremony!!! They all have waited so long & worked so hard to get up to this point. Graduating high school is one of the last & most important adolescent milestones our children will experience & remember for a lifetime. We all need to stick together & help make this pivotal point in our child’s life a happy & memorable one.

There are ways this can be achieved during these unprecedented times & still comply with all health regulations & social distancing guidelines. I implore you to encourage the district to push for an in-person grad ceremony for each of our high school seniors before the Fall starts. Most of our seniors have already chosen & accepted their college admissions or will be joining the military. A majority will be starting college in the Fall & will miss out on the opportunity to be honored in a graduation that is postponed for later in the Fall or Winter.

Schools in other states, such as Mississippi, have already adopted in-person grad ceremonies, held at the school for each individual senior & with scheduled time slots & a limited number of family members/guests each day, beginning the end of May & going throughout the Month of June, until everyone has graduated in a personal ceremony in-person. Additionally, a photographer & videographer will be taking photos & videos of all the seniors to later compile & edit into one video that can later be watched as the official grad ceremony by all friends & family members. This will be in compliance with all social distancing guidelines & keep everyone safe. If Mississippi can do this, California can too!!