ST PAUL, Minn. — David Law lives for graduation.
As the superintendent of Anoka-Hennepin – the largest school district in Minnesota – Law oversees ceremonies for five high schools each year, always beaming with pride as the students accept their diplomas and toss their caps in the air. These are special moments, signifying the end of one phase and the beginning of a next.
For Law, 2020 was going to be really special.
“I have a senior this year,” Law said. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing him walk across the stage for a long time.”
Those plans have changed, now that the Minnesota Department of Education and Department of Health announced guidelines that ban in-person ceremonies at football stadiums and gymnasiums for the Class of 2020.
“I can really relate to those parents who feel like we’ve lost something,” Law said. “I’m really sad for our students – I know how tough that is. But I’m really not surprised.”
Anoka-Hennepin officials knew a ban on traditional commencements was a distinct possibility, so they began planning weeks ago for virtual ceremonies and will now “kick from Plan A to Plan B,” as Law puts it. Minneapolis Public Schools and Saint Paul Public Schools have also made similar announcements for virtual ceremonies, which are considered the safest method by the state’s public health experts.
To supplement the virtual commencements scheduled for June, the high schools in Anoka-Hennepin will offer separate on-stage photo opportunities, where families can take graduation photos separately while social distancing.
“We’re going to try to give them the memories of it without the actual event,” Law said.
The new guidance from state officials was not, however, met with universal acceptance. Jim Guetter, the superintendent of Red Lake County and Red Lake Falls schools in northwest Minnesota, said many in his region are displeased with the “one size fits all” approach.” With 54 graduating seniors in two high schools, Guetter and his colleagues had already planned a socially-distant, in-person ceremony with staggered times and square-footage calculations – and it had even been signed off by local officials.
“Everything was approved, we shared that with them. Parents and graduates seemed happy with what we were able to offer, and it was just flushed this morning,” Guetter said. “Our environment is totally different. Totally different.”
Guetter urged the Walz administration to reconsider. In his daily press briefing with the news media, the governor did not rule that out necessarily, although he noted that cases are likely to increase into June.
“We are trying to make sure we strike a proper balance between public health and these important social milestones,” Walz said. “Districts have asked us for immediate guidance. Guidance can change, as the situation changes. As testing changes.”
Based on the governor’s comments and those from his health commissioner, Jan Malcolm, the administration does not seem to believe that the COVID-19 outlook will improve much by early summer. Yet some school districts, including Eden Prairie, have decided to keep postponed dates for in-person ceremonies on the books. “MDE’s guidance today did not close the door on some kind of in-person ceremony later in the summer. We will keep our plans for a ceremony at Mariucci Arena on July 31,” Eden Prairie High School Principal Robb Virgin told families in a letter. “Our intent continues to be to provide students with the most meaningful experience possible.”
Eden Prairie has taken a “two-track” approach and plans to reach out to students, parents and staff to determine alternate options.
The state’s guidelines technically allow for a drive-up or parking lot ceremony that would be conducted in cars, but it offered a list of heavy restrictions for those types of events and seemed to discourage them strongly. It’s unclear how many Minnesota districts are considering a drive-up graduation, but a school board member for at least one – Park Rapids in northern Minnesota – told KARE 11 there is a plan under consideration.
In Red Lake County, Superintendent Guetter said the district doesn’t have a parking lot large enough to accommodate that type of event. For that reason, he said it’s unclear if that could even become an option – creating more uncertainty for the Red Lake County and Red Lake Falls staff.
“We’ve been talking all day,” Guetter said, “coming up with different ideas, talking with different schools.”
At Anoka-Hennepin, Superintendent Law said he empathizes with parents – because he’s a frustrated dad himself, not at anyone in particular but more at the situation itself.
“I’m as angry as they are that we’re here,” he said, “but we’re gonna do everything we can to make this special for our kids.”