Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Illinois State Board of Education Issues Guidance on Graduation Ceremonies

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 05/04/20

The month of May is usually filled with graduation ceremonies and end-of-the year celebrations for students’ accomplishments. The coronavirus has completely changed the way these rituals are executed.

The Illinois State Board of Education issued guidance for schools on how to hold these ceremonies. It’s up to local school boards and superintendents whether or not to have socially distanced graduation ceremonies.

The board strongly encourages districts to hold digital events and to use social media to highlight graduates with hashtags and messages. They encourage videos of graduates with short messages and recorded speeches by invited speakers which provides students with “a long-term memento.”

The board will allow in-person graduation events including “drive-in” and “drive-through” ceremonies. In both cases, students and their immediate family who are staying at home together should remain in their cars for the entirety of the ceremony.

Other acceptable ceremonies include an individualized ceremony at school where a student walks across the stage in their cap and gown and have their photo taken at a designated time. Restroom access or refreshments will not be available at facilities during ceremonies.

Another example is school officials visit each graduate’s home while remaining outside and at least six feet away to congratulate each graduate.

In all cases, the board’s recommendations include no person-to-person contact during the ceremony and that all people outside of the car wear a face mask or covering.

Read more detailed guidance here.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.