Will 2021 MCSD high school graduations be in person? Superintendent announces decision
After last year’s Muscogee County School District graduation ceremonies were only online and without any in-person gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic, they will return to the Columbus Civic Center this year, with COVID-19 protocols.
MCSD superintendent David Lewis announced the news during the school board’s annual retreat, conducted via videoconference Saturday.
With a decrease in the number of local COVID-19 cases, Lewis met with city and Civic Center officials last week to discuss the idea.
“We’ve just now seen the numbers drop down to the point where the city felt like the Civic Center could start to be opened up,” Lewis said. “Frankly, I don’t care for outdoor graduations, due to the heat and the weather and all things that happen. So if we could hold out to get the venue indoors where that’s not a factor, that was our preference.
“So we wanted to wait and see how that played out. And, fortunately thanks to the Civic Center staff and working with city officials, that’s going to be possible. So all things considered, it’s going to be a good return to some sense of normalcy, although a little bit different structure.”
Lewis noted COVID-19 protocols will reduce the normal number of supporters allowed to attend.
“There will be some modifications because of still having precautions, the need for those,” he said. “… Those details will be coming forward after we hash those out by schools.”
Civic Center director Rob Landers told the Ledger-Enquirer he expects those details to be set by the end of this month. The decision to conduct in-person ceremonies is “a step in the right direction,” he said, “but there’s a lot of logistics that go into place. … We want to make sure we do this as safe as possible.”
One of the concerns is having to plan an event months in advance while the local level of the coronavirus fluctuates. That’s why Landers envisions people in attendance will be required to wear masks and remain 6 feet apart.
“As of right now, our planning is based on today,” he said. “We’re hoping for a better outlook in May, but all of our planning will be based upon current information. So any of the guidelines the CDC and other health authorities recommended will be in place.”
MCSD hasn’t released a graduation schedule, but the district’s calendar shows the ceremonies will be May 20-22. Eight of MCSD’s nine high schools will have their graduations in the Civic Center, and Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts will have its ceremony in its auditorium. MCSD will livestream the ceremonies, so anyone without a ticket still can watch them.
No school board member spoke against the plan. Naomi Buckner, the board’s District 4 representative, summed up the reaction when she said, “We’ve been getting all kinds of questions about the graduations. We haven’t been able to tell them anything. Parents will be so relieved to hear this.”
As for whether proms will be permitted, Lewis said he would meet with local medical experts this week to discuss what is safe and feasible.
“We’ll have more guidance as we go,” he said.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 2:33 PM.
