Fayette County schools will have outdoor graduations

Fayette County’s graduating seniors will once again parade across their schools’ football fields with family and friends cheering from the bleachers. The school system announced Tuesday in a letter to parents that all ceremonies will take place at 7 p.m. on May 28 at the respective stadiums. Spectator attendance will not be limited, and face masks will be encouraged but not required. In case of rain that evening, ceremonies will be held outdoors the following morning. The events will also be livestreamed, with the links to be posted on each school’s website.

As recently as the Board of Education’s April 26 meeting, the county was considering limiting attendance to six tickets per student. At that time, School Health Services Coordinator Debbie King noted that Fayette County as a whole already has a relatively high COVID-19 vaccination rate of nearly 30%, according to the county health department.