Montclair High School Is Planning In-Person Graduation: Reports

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair High School may have virtual and in-person graduation ceremonies for 2020, reports say.

On Wednesday night, state officials released guidelines that will allow for live graduation ceremonies amid the coronavirus crisis – with strict controls. The events must be held after July 6. They must also be capped at the state's maximum for gatherings, which currently stands at 25, but is expected to go up if the spread of the virus slows sufficiently.

• See related article: NJ In-Person Graduations: Here Are The New Rules Amid Coronavirus

Interim Montclair Schools Superintendent Nathan Parker told Montclair Local that MHS will have a virtual graduation ceremony June 24, as well as a possible in-person ceremony July 9 on the football field of the Aubrey Lewis Sports Complex.

Participation would be voluntary and only two guests will be allowed to attend.

Speaking with Fox 5 News, Parker said that people would be spread out by at least 6 feet, nobody will walk across a stage, and that there wouldn’t be a lot of movement. Students will also get a special gift: a monogrammed “Mounties” face mask.

But plans can change, and an in-person graduation ceremony is far from a done deal, administrators pointed out.

"We are still trying to figure out the feasibility of an in-person event given the many restrictions," Parker told Patch on Thursday evening.

Montclair isn’t the only public school district in Essex County taking a look at a possible in-person graduation this year.

On Tuesday, Livingston School Superintendent Matthew Block said the district is considering supplementing its already-planned virtual events with “socially distanced, post-graduation, in-person ceremonies” in July.

• See related article: Livingston Schools Considering In-Person HS Graduation In July

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