Though local school systems are now officially closed to in-person classes for the remainder of the academic year, there are still some questions left unanswered.
Daviess County Public Schools, Owensboro Public Schools and Owensboro Catholic Schools are all still working on details regarding graduation ceremonies as well as other events like honors night and prom.
DCPS Superintendent Matt Robbins said they have a two-pronged approach to graduation.
“Because of the uncertainty of (when we can do everything), I think we need to go ahead and celebrate graduation at the point of when that normally happens for us,” he said. “We’ll have to do that in a very non-traditional, acceptable fashion. But the idea would still leave the door open to an in-person graduation should sometime over the summer be an allowable time for us to do that. It wouldn’t be an either/or situation. It would be a both situation, except for we just don’t know when the in-person graduation would take place.”
Officials at OPS and OCS said they were waiting to nail down any final plans until they knew whether or not schools would officially keep their doors closed.
“We have been looking at a variety of different options and dates for these types of events,” said Keith Osborne, OCS chief administrative officer. “Now that we know we are not coming back, we will finalize our plans.”
Matthew Constant, OPS interim superintendent, said they have been considering a virtual graduation if the the current restrictions aren’t lifted soon.
“Our district has been exploring several options with student leadership, principals and district officials,” he said. “While we will still explore an in-person option, Gov. Beshear has recommended that all districts provide a virtual graduation ceremony for seniors (for now). Our seniors deserve to go out on a high note and we will do everything we can to make sure they are honored for their accomplishments.”
Though there are still plenty of unknowns, all three school systems said they will finish the academic year by providing free meals to anyone under 18 years of age before moving into their normal summer feeding programs.
Matthew Constant, OPS interim superintendent, said while it is their intention to continue this service, procedures may change for sites and distribution.
Upon making the announcement that they would remain closed the rest of the school year, Owensboro and Daviess County Public schools also announced new final days of instruction.
The final day of school for OPS is expected to be May 1, while DCPS and OCS are expected to go through May 8.
The Kentucky Department of Education informed superintendents Monday that Non-Traditional Instruction days will count for seven hours of instruction each day. Schools can finish the semester as soon as they have 1,062 hours of instruction for this academic year.
“The way this school year ended is one of those historical events that you will remember forever,” Constant said. “It is an event that will bond everyone together for a lifetime. It’s not what anyone wanted, but it is an opportunity to unite together and overcome adversity as one. Though it may not seem like it now, we will get through this and we will get through it together.”
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