‘The way I imagined.’ In-person graduations, proms making comeback in KY schools.

Last spring, the unthinkable was happening for high school seniors across Kentucky as the surging coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of traditional in-person graduations or proms.

But this year, as many students are returning to classrooms for the first time in a year and cases decrease, several schools and districts -- including Fayette, Clark, Bourbon, Jessamine, Anderson, Boyd, Morgan, Powell, Nicholas, Martin and Somerset High -- are planning for in person or indoor spring events with precautions in mind.

Jessamine schools canceled prom last spring and had a parade for graduation.

This year, the two main Jessamine high schools will have graduation 2021 outdoor on their football fields, bringing in extra chairs for social distancing. A radio station will air the event, said Superintendent Matt Moore.

The district will also have traditional indoor proms, but will limit who can be invited to individuals at a given school. The Lexington venue the schools are using for prom has outdoor space too.

Students have a common message, Moore said. “They want to get back to the stuff they’ve known pre-COVID.”

In Fayette County, said district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall, “We feel confident that, in partnership with Rupp Arena, we will be able to implement appropriate precautions and safely hold in person graduation ceremonies for the class of 2021 in May.”

Payton Coulter, one of the editors in chief of the PLD Lamplighter publication at Dunbar High School, said “this pandemic has already ruined my senior year and all I’m asking is for some normalcy. I believe that if we all wore masks and limited the people allowed to watch we should be able to do it at Rupp Arena. “

“Teachers and staff are getting vaccinated and that has slowed down the spread. The University of Kentucky announced that their seniors will have a normal graduation, so why not do that for the high school seniors? I know that I won’t get the senior year I imagined, but I want to end it in the way I imagined,” said Payton.

Sloan Scroggin, another of the editors at Dunbar’s Lamplighter publication said “although in-person graduation at Rupp Arena is what we’ve always wanted, the experience wouldn’t be worth it if it meant we’re creating a super spreader.

“An event that took place outside that was still similar to the ‘walk at graduation’, could allow for a safer closing to our high school careers,” said Scroggin.

Among students and staff who have been on campus since K-2 students returned Feb. 22 in person, there have been about 15 positive cases at eleven separate schools.

In Fayette County, as of Thursday about 190 students and 15 staff members have been quarantined since students started returning Feb. 22. The newest cases were at Ashland, Dixie and Meadowthorpe Elementary.

As for prom in Fayette County, Deffendall said, “We recognize the importance of the spring milestone events students traditionally enjoyed before the pandemic, and we are still considering options for 2021.”

Martin County Superintendent Larry James said his district is planning for “prom under a tent under our high school courtyard, graduation at our football field with limited seating.”

Anderson County High School’s prom is currently scheduled for May 22.

“While the intention is to offer a prom experience like in years past, we do not know what restrictions may be in place at that time, “ the district website said.

The 2021 Anderson County graduation ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park Alltech Arena on Friday, May 28.

Mercer County Principal Spencer Tatum said his school is planning on having a prom in April. It will be held at an open air venue with an additional large tent so that COVID protocols can be followed. Temperature checks will be done upon arrival and masks will be worn at all times. Students will be allowed to sign-up for prom in groups of 6 or less. Students can arrive together and can be seated together at a table and allowed to dance in the same designated area on the dance floor.

A proposed outdoor graduation will “allow us to socially distance the graduating seniors on the football field with ample space for parents to socially distance themselves in bleachers and the surrounding grounds around the stadium,” said Tatum.

Boyd County Superintendent Bill Boblett said his district plans outdoor events for graduation and prom.

“We will be having an outdoor prom at our new athletic complex,” he said. “We will utilize the new lighting system and PA system for the DJ. A dance floor will be installed on the field along with a large tent in case of rain.”

Boyd students can choose from having graduation on the new athletic field with an allotment of tickets or a drive through graduation.

New state guidelines for graduations, proms and other spring activities released by the Kentucky Department of Education said despite coronavirus vaccines, districts must continue to be cautious and work with public health officials because the virus is still circulating and the impact of the new variants of the virus is still unknown.

State officials are telling schools to examine each year-end event as it relates to the district or school’s mission and values.

“If an event is not ‘mission critical,’ consider canceling the event this school year due to the current public health emergency,” the guidance said.

Once school officials have decided which events to preserve this school year, they should create alternate formats for each event, such as the virtual or drive-in ceremonies that were held last spring, said the guidance.

If districts go ahead with in-person events, “it is expected that some form of social distancing will need to be observed for the foreseeable future, and crowd size will be limited,” said the guidance. “Therefore, depending on the number of students, you will likely have to hold more than one event in the same venue to decrease the size of the crowd.”

The ceremony would need to be repeated as many times as necessary to accommodate all graduates and guests. “Keep in mind that for very large classes, this could mean many ceremonies,” the guidance said.

Districts and schools will want to limit attendance due to crowd size limitations and broadcast the ceremony or provide it online for those who cannot attend, state education officials said.

Graduates, guests and staff will have to be adequately spaced out in all directions.

School officials will have to limit or prevent guests from crowding near the stage to take pictures. The guidance suggests having someone take pictures of graduates and provide them free of charge to families.

Decisions will have to be made about how to keep bathrooms safe and how to maintain space when students collect their diplomas.

Kentucky Department of Education spokeswoman Toni Konz Tatman said the department “is neither making a specific recommendation with this new guidance document, nor are we mandating that districts must follow any of the suggestions. “

The document only outlines several possible scenarios, including in-person options, for a district to consider when working with their local health department, students, families and communities to determine what would work best in their particular situation, she said

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced educators to be flexible and innovative in addressing the unexpected. In time, your Plan B might not be possible – it might have to become Plan C, D or E,” the guidance said.

Nicholas County is creating plans for both in-person graduation and prom, said Superintendent Doug Bechanan. “With that said, we are also mindful of how quickly things can change and are making plans for alternative ceremonies.”