Wayne Schools Hope To Strike Balance Between Celebration, Safety

WAYNE, NJ — In a May 5 letter to parents of Wayne Public Schools students, Superintendent Mark Toback announced the district had yet to determine plans for end-of-year events, but is committed to hosting transitional programs like graduation. The district is working toward that goal with limited guidance, according to a May 7 email from Toback.

While Toback acknowledges schools have pandemic plans, he said they don't cover events of this magnitude, putting schools in a "difficult situation".

"Except for requirements to maintain social distancing and the use of personal protective equipment, guidance for specific events like graduation is not available. The reality is that the limited guidance we have now may be the only guidance we receive," said Toback in an email.

Thus, Toback said the district is willing to get creative in how they will host these events, as long as they follow state safety protocols.

"We are willing to color outside the lines if possible because we understand how many milestone events our graduating seniors have already lost," said Toback. "Every effort is being made to balance a meaningful district celebration for the Class of 2020 while making sure we keep everyone safe."

In the letter to parents in response to Gov. Phil Murphy's announcement that schools would be closed for the remainder of the academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic, he expressed disappointment for the students of Wayne Township, particularly graduating seniors.

"While the announcement that school would be closed for the remainder of the year was probably not a surprise, it did lead to feelings of profound loss because it ended any hope of retaining the traditional culminating activities and events that are in many cases a right of passage for students and their families," he wrote.

Ridgewood has also announced plans for a unique graduation ceremony, which will take places over multiple days without an audience. The ceremony will be filmed, and eventually published to YouTube.

Read more: Ridgewood High School Plans Socially Distanced Graduation