Breaking News: Health Department officials urge school board to stick to original graduation plan

Dr. James Stackhouse, a medical consultant with the Wayne County Health Department, told members of the Wayne County Board of Education that COVID-19 remains a threat to local residents and recommended that the school district continue with the graduation plan unveiled Monday.

There is, he said, too much risk associated with mass gatherings — particularly for the local elderly and immunocompromised populations.

The board met Friday morning to continue graduation discussions after WCPS received backlash from parents and family members of the Class of 2020 who want their graduates to experience a more traditional ceremony.

But Stackhouse said a government entity sponsoring a mass gathering like traditional graduations would be a mistake.

“We’ve not conquered (COVID-19). We have almost 1,000 cases confirmed in this county,” he said. “We had 47 new cases recorded yesterday. Social isolation needs to continue in some form.”

The board also unwrapped the details of Gov. Roy Cooper’s latest executive order that moves the state into Phase 2, also known as “Safer at Home,” which allows people to gather together for social purposes, “so long as they do not exceed the mass gathering limit of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.”

Then, after an abrupt closed session, District 4 board member Jennifer Strickland spoke about a Facebook post requesting feedback on alternative graduation options she published Thursday that generated a tremendous amount of response from parents across WCPS.

Her justification for putting out the “options” was to give the community a voice in the discussion.

“I think a lot of times … people just want to be heard,” she said. “I just wanted a feel from the community.”

Here is the post:

WCPS communications and public relations officer Ken Derksen said no matter which direction the county goes, the message needs to be clear — and unified.

“Our seniors have been given false hope about a lot of things,” he said. “Students don’t need a tentative plan. Let’s give them the facts.”

Those facts, as things currently stand, include a 25-person limit to any outdoor event, Derksen added.

“You’re literally looking at 18 guests plus six graduates plus one principal,” he said.

That is why the district determined Monday’s plan was the best opportunity to provide an inclusive ceremony, he said.

But with Gov. Roy Cooper expected to address the state Friday evening, the board was not willing to commit to a definitive plan one way or another.

Instead, the district, using guidance from principals, will put together a list of options for ceremonies at individual schools after the governor’s press conference — options that would be in compliance with restrictions Cooper might or might not put on graduations.

Derksen said moving forward, WCPS should not put out information until the district knows exactly what graduation will look like.

“These students have been robbed of so much already,” Derksen said. “To rob them of any more hope is wrong. … We have to be very careful in what we put out there … and we’re not saying we can do something we simply can’t deliver.”

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