County school systems deciding what to do with HS graduations

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — County school systems around the state are deciding how they want to celebrate high school commencements due to COVID-19.

Clayton Burch, the state Superintendent of Schools has said the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and the state DHHR is lending a hand for school leaders on what and how to hold ceremonies.

Clayton Burch

Burch said on a recent MetroNews ‘Talkline’ that the department put together a graduation task force assembled with all 55 county superintendents to brainstorm ideas.

Plans are being finalized now and will be put in a guidance document on the WVDE website. The site will feature a link to every county’s plans and dates of commencement.

“This will be for creative, innovative ways to do graduation or if you choose to hold live graduation, it’s following the governor’s comeback plan,” Burch said.

“There’s going to be some very clear guidelines that the DHHR put together for social distance gatherings that are small.”

More than 18,000 high school seniors are graduating across the state, including one of Burch’s children.

He said he has already heard from counties on creative ways including Raleigh. According to Burch, the county has arranged to have drive-in graduation live on local television.

Local health officials will help organize Raleigh County’s commencement which has plans featuring small groups coming onto the stage and the valedictorian giving a speech on stage on live television.

Other school systems, including Kanawha County Schools that has eight high schools, say they will wait and hold traditional ceremonies later in the summer.

“They are going to take and push their graduation dates further along in the summer and really hope to have a traditional live graduation,” Burch said.

The state Department of Education pointed out that it has no jurisdiction or role to approve high school graduation plans. That’s the job of the county board of education. However, working with WVDHHR the WVDE offered guidance to assist counties as they finalized their plans and the WVDE offered a way for counties to share ideas and information.





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