What will graduations look like in Beaufort County schools, and how many can attend?
Get ready, Class of 2021 — Beaufort County School District is holding your graduation ceremonies in-person and outdoors in June.
Students will be allowed to bring up to six guests with them to graduation ceremonies, which will be subject to COVID-19 and physical distancing protocols, superintendent Frank Rodriguez said Tuesday.
Ceremonies will be held in the high schools’ football stadiums, district spokesperson Candace Bruder said Tuesday.
The district had to get approval for its graduation plan from the S.C. Department of Commerce and Department of Health and Environmental Control.
In July, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order prohibiting events at sports stadiums and other large venues with more than 250 attendees or 50% of their capacity. Events with attendance above that threshold have to get clearance from the S.C. Department of Commerce to proceed.
“When you look at what many other school districts are doing, they’re doing four (tickets) or less,” Rodriguez said. “We believe we can do six.”
Last year’s graduation plan drew major backlash from seniors and parents alike.
The district opted to hold ceremonies online, streaming the ceremonies on the day of graduation.
Seniors had the option to go into school ahead of the ceremonies to film socially distanced, masked walks across the stage, with up to four guests present.
Their walks were filmed and edited into the graduation footage, which included prerecorded speeches from Superintendent Frank Rodriguez, as well as the school principal, class valedictorian and salutatorian.
The number of guests was bumped from two to four after community complaints, including a petition to reconsider graduation with input from students that garnered more than 1,800 signatures, a Beaufort protest and a meeting between Rodriguez and student leaders.
When will graduation be held?
The school board unanimously approved a change to graduation dates in February, which district officials recommended due to summer school and referendum construction project schedules.
Here’s when each high school’s ceremony will be held:
- Beaufort High School: June 14, 7 p.m.
- May River High School: June 15, 7 p.m.
- Whale Branch Early College High School: June 16, 7 p.m.
- Hilton Head Island High School: June 17, 7 p.m.
- Bluffton High School: June 18, 10 a.m.
- Battery Creek High School: June 18, 7 p.m.
If the ceremonies are rained out or delayed, the makeup dates are as follows:
June 23 is reserved as a makeup day if other makeup ceremonies are delayed.