McMaster to speak at SC high school graduation modified by coronavirus
As school districts across South Carolina make plans for in-person high school graduations during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Henry McMaster has expressed confidence in the safety precautions being taken — and now he’s set to be at one.
On May 29 at 10 a.m., McMaster will address the graduates of West Florence High School, The State has confirmed.
Because of the spread of COVID-19, it won’t be a completely traditional graduation ceremony, as it will take place outdoors on the grounds of the Florence Center, instead of inside. Graduates will get to walk across the stage to accept their diploma, but guests will have to remain in their vehicles. Tickets will be limited to one vehicle per graduate, and all guests must fit in that vehicle.
“Limousines, buses, RVs, or similarly oversized vehicles will not be admitted. People are not permitted to arrive in the beds of trucks or move to a truck bed,” Florence School District 1 announced.
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, McMaster expressed support for high schools planning ceremonies while practicing certain safety measures. A number of school districts have announced outdoor ceremonies with strict guidelines in place to protect against the virus as hundreds, even thousands, of students and family members get set to gather.
“In the conversations that we’ve had with those institutions, they’re determined to be very careful, practice the social distancing,” McMaster said. “It’s not going to be just like it used to be, at least not this year. It’s going to be different, and there’s some disappointments involved. But this particular class of 2020 is going to take a place in history as being in a very unusual situation, but the smiles and the happiness that we’re seeing from the activities that have already taken place are heartwarming. And again, we’ll get through it.”
McMaster has been slowly reopening the economy and lifting restrictions put in place since the start of the pandemic. In recent weeks, he has allowed restaurants to resume dine-in services, retail stores and gyms to reopen and for salons and barber shops to cut people’s hair again. Wednesday, he announced that tourist attractions and amusement parks can also reopen in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Schools, however, have been shut down since March. In late April, McMaster ordered that they stay closed through the end of the academic year. Officials have yet to issue formal recommendations for how to reopen schools in the late summer or fall, but measures such as staggered recesses, reduced capacity in buses and makeup days are being considered.
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 7:08 PM with the headline "McMaster to speak at SC high school graduation modified by coronavirus."
