Henry County Schools is working on a plan to have prom and graduation festivities sometime in mid-June, a district spokesman says.
Prom may be held the week of June 15 while graduation is planned for the week of June 22 or some variation of both, schools spokesman JD Hardin said on Wednesday.
“The weeks of June 15 through the 26th, as of right now, are designated as kind of our seniors week to try to get some of these activities accomplished,” he said. “This is predicated on whether we will be able to go back to normal activities by then.
“If we aren’t, this information could change once again,” he said.
School districts across metro Atlanta have been struggling to plan graduations and proms as the nation deals with the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing guidelines and the state prohibition of gatherings of 10 or more people have put pressure of school systems to push graduations back to dates when they hope everyday life will be less restrictive.
Henry, like some other districts, has shortened its school calendar year because of the virus’ impact. The last day of schools was supposed to be May 22, but will now end May 8 for seniors and May 15 for kindergartners through 11th graders, Hardin said.
“That’s if they are in good academic standing,” he said. “If there are some things that they need extra help with at that time they can get it.”
Hardin said the district hopes to have more specifics on graduation and prom dates once the academic year has concluded.
“I don’t think we can set a specific date at this moment in time for graduation,” he said. “Just know that we are trying to do it on a certain week. Of course we’ll have to yield to the guidance of the CDC and the department of Public Health.”
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