Clayton students overwhelmingly want the district to hold live graduation ceremonies, even if that means pushing them into the summer months.
In a Facebook Live Friday, Clayton Superintendent Morcease Beasley said an informal survey the school system conducted this week found the majority of seniors prefer a physical ceremony over a virtual one. Seniors had little enthusiasm about skipping the ceremonies altogether and putting their diplomas in the mail.
“You seniors shared with your superintendent that you would prefer that we postpone graduations first,” Beasley said. “(And that they) possibly be held in June, July or August, whichever month we are allowed to do it.”
How graduation will be handled is one of the biggest issues facing districts after Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday closed schools for the rest of the academic year because of the coronavirus spread.
Clayton seniors are scheduled to graduate May 21 and 23, but that has been put in jeopardy because of the virus. Beasley said he hopes to stick with those dates, but offered no guarantees.
“We will determine at the appropriate time if we can continue” with those dates, he said.
Beasley said about 6,000 students answered the survey, event though the district has only 3,000 seniors. The survey, which was sent out on Thursday, closed at 11 a.m. Friday.
“Clearly I’ve got more seniors than the data suggest that we have. That’s OK,” Beasley said smiling.
Prior to the Facebook Live, it was clear many in the district preferred a physical graduation. The school system’s Facebook page included dozens of comments supporting live graduations.
“We DON’T want a virtual graduation for our kids!!, one commenter wrote. “ PLEASE don’t take the actual ceremony away from them!!! Do it in August, September, October, November, or December! It doesn’t have to be fancy at some convention center. Do it at Tara Stadium.”
Another said, “The graduating class of 2020 needs to go out with a big bang they were born in a year of tragedy 9/11/2001and are graduating in a year where there is a pandemic. Show the senior some love.”
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