Texas Education Agency updates graduation ceremony guidance for Texas high schools
The Texas Education Agency on Tuesday updated its comprehensive graduation guidelines for Texas high schools, stating that in-person ceremonies can take place as early as May 15.
With school districts across the state closed for the remainder of the academic year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, local administrators have began looking for alternate ways to provide formal sendoffs for the Class of 2020. The guidelines, which were originally posted April 21, offer parameters for school districts to plan and hold graduations while minimizing the spread of COVID-19.
As part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Strike Force to Open Texas, TEA is outlining four different pathways for schools to celebrate their graduating seniors:
- Completely virtual ceremonies that take place entirely online, with the use of video-conference or other technologies
- Hybrid ceremonies, which consist of a compilation of videos of students being recognized in person as they celebrate graduation in small groups
- Vehicle ceremonies, in which students and their families wait in their cars while other graduates are recognized one at time with their families alongside them
- Outdoor in-person ceremonies, which are currently permitted for counties as follows:
- Between May 15 and May 31, an outdoor ceremony may take place in a rural county that has an attestation as described in the “Texans Helping Texans: The Governor’s Report to Open Texas” (April 27) that remains in effect seven days prior to the ceremony
- An outdoor ceremony may take place in any Texas county on or after June 1
With public health and safety remaining the focus for all involved, TEA has shared detailed guidance on how to safely conduct these ceremonies, and each district is at liberty to determine if any of these options best serve the needs and desires of their community.
“Graduation ceremonies mark a major milestone for students and their families. All educators are committed first and foremost to ensuring the health and safety of our students, families, and staff,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a press release. “By taking the necessary precautions developed by medical experts, we can ensure we appropriately honor our Class of 2020 graduates while keeping everyone safe.”
Most school districts in Tarrant County have already canceled in-person May graduations and postponed ceremonies until June and July. Fort Worth has opted for a virtual graduation while Northwest will hold its socially-distanced ceremonies at Texas Motor Speedway where family members will be able to watch graduates receive their diplomas on the track’s 10-story screen from the safety of their own cars.
The full details of TEA’s graduation guidance can be found here.
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 2:39 PM.
