Cherry Hill Schools Still Exploring Options For 2020 Graduation

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Following this week’s announcement by Gov. Phil Murphy that schools will remain closed for the rest of the academic year, the Cherry Hill Public School District now has a clearer direction on how it can proceed for events scheduled for June, including graduation, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

However, nothing is set in stone at this time, and the district is optimistic about the governor’s restrictions on large gatherings being relaxed moving forward.

“We do need to certify the class and to confer the diplomas before the end of June, and we have been discussing a number of options to do that,” district spokeswoman Barbara Wilson said. “As we’ve been telling our senior families, that would not preclude us from doing something in person at a later date.”

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Murphy announced Monday that students would not return to school this year. The governor cast doubts last month on whether graduation events would be feasible. Read more: Gov. Murphy Casts Doubt On NJ Graduations Due To Coronavirus

"I wouldn't put any nonrefundable checks down on your celebrations right now," he said. "It's hard to say otherwise. I'm hope I'm wrong but I fear that I am not."

The spring sports season has also been cancelled, and on Wednesday, Murphy extended New Jersey's public health emergency for another 30 days, to June 7. Read more here: 4 Things To Know As NJ Gets Closer To Restart

Wilson said the district continues to explore its options to celebrate this year’s senior class.

“When we are provided with additional guidelines and timeframes for implementation, we’ll be able to proceed accordingly,” Wilson said. “We are absolutely committed to celebrating this class, as we are able. We’ll be sharing additional information with our families in the next week to ten days.”

Commencement ceremonies at both Cherry Hill High School East and Cherry Hill High School West are currently scheduled for June 16.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know