On Friday evening a message was sent from Transylvania County Schools detailing a part of a graduation plan. Unfortunately, the message was not authorized by the administration and was sent in error. Early on in the Pandemic, multiple options have been discussed regarding this year's graduation ceremonies for our Transylvania County Schools seniors. From the outset, these options have been guided by rules from the Governor’s office regarding social distancing, massed gatherings, and organization of events. Guidance from the Governor's office and the Transylvania County Health Department guide, and will continue to guide, any and all decisions affecting gathering options. This includes high school graduations.
High school graduation is a special crowning moment in the lives of young people. This year has been like no other year, and those traditional ceremonies and senior years we hold dear have been terribly disrupted. Many students and parents have offered helpful suggestions on how to honor seniors. The top suggestion among all received continues to tend toward options that would use our stadiums with social distancing and mask requirements or some type of organized gathering. While the spirit of these suggestions is welcome and with noble intent, this cannot be an option at this time due to rules prohibiting mass gatherings. However, we continue to welcome suggestions from our parents and community. Many have matched the options we have developed in our discussions.
There may be some relaxing of rules as the curve continues to flatten, but as of today, we do not have any indication this will occur. As options are developed and vetted, a list of possible graduation ceremony options is being developed for discussion with the Board of Education, our local Health Department and Law Enforcement. Some options are only now being reviewed by local officials. It is important to know in advance what options are off the table before presenting these to our Class of 2020 seniors for input and choice selection. We already know that some venues are off the table for choice. That is why our strong partnership with our Heath Department and Law enforcement is so important and critical. Once this is complete, we can have approved options for our seniors leading to a best-case selection.
This process has not been completed. Draft messages, subject to change, are sometimes prepared in advance to go out to the public on important decisions. Once a selection was made and properly vetted (including rules for gatherings at the time, venue approval and permission, and law enforcement logistics) messages are tweaked, corrected, and then shared with the public.
Unfortunately, on Friday, May 1st, before the process had been properly completed, a message for one option was shared with the public. That message was not approved to go out and was sent in error. The final decision on graduation has not been made. That process is planned to occur the week of May 4-8. Transylvania County School apologizes for any inconvenience caused by this error. As soon as the process for the selection of this year's graduation ceremony has been finalized, the ceremony information will be shared with the public.
While no ceremony will equal or come close to achieving the special celebration of a normal year, it is our goal to make the ceremony as special as possible under these restricted conditions in place for public safety. Our seniors have worked very hard and are exceptional leaders for our nation's future. We are so very proud of each one.
Please continue to visit our social media outlets for updates on this year's graduation as soon as they become available.
Transylvania County Schools