More broken ‘prom-ises’
City bans ‘unsafe’ dances for 2nd yr.
For the second year in a row, New York City has barred its public high schools from holding senior proms, saying the galas are still not safe.
“Proms typically involve eating and drinking, which require removal of face coverings, and dancing, which can potentially promote COVID-19 transmission,” the city Department of Education says. “As a result, in-person proms, both indoor and outdoor, are not permitted at this time.”
The DOE did open the door for schools to hold optional outdoor commencement ceremonies — if they follow COVID-19 safety rules. There was a citywide virtual ceremony held last year.
The prom prohibition — quietly posted on the DOE Web site last week — comes a year after the big nights for the Class of 2020, about 61,000 graduates, were canceled early in the pandemic.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” said Lola Murti, 18, a senior at the Bronx HS of Science, which has a graduating class of some 700 students. “Me and most of my friends have been online the whole school year. We were looking forward to a large group, end-of-high-school gathering.”
Murti won’t forgo all the festivity: “A few of my friends and I want to buy prom dresses anyway . . . get dressed up and take pictures.”
At Brooklyn Tech, hopeful student leaders had booked a venue at Chelsea Piers for a prom on June 5. But, as the student announcement notes, the event is “dependent on COVID and NYC guidelines.”
Isabella Goldmints, whose daughter is a senior at Stuyvesant
A few of my friends and I want to buy prom dresses anyway . . . get dressed up and take pictures. — Lola Murti (above)
HS, was counting on a prom.
“Our kids have been in isolation for a year. My daughter only saw a tiny group of friends. She probably forgot how the other students look,” she said. “School exists not just for academic knowledge accumulation, it’s also for social development and building lifelong ties. Our seniors were deprived of this experience.”
Dennis McKeon, executive director of the Staten Island nonprofit Where to Turn, has about 300 prom dresses ready for its annual gown giveaway — including 200 frocks donated by Macy’s last year after the pandemic halted sales. But as of last week, the dresses are still hanging on racks.
“I haven’t heard of anybody having any proms yet,” McKeon said.
A spokesman for Lara, a Midtown shop for special-occasion dresses, said the store has sold only about 30 so far, compared to 200 to 300 normally by this time.
Bronx Science principal Rachel Hoyle said prom would be “postponed” in a March 11 e-mail, adding, “But the Alumni Foundation has generously agreed to throw you a prom when folks are able to be back in-person indoors and dancing together!”
Murti said such a prom would be anticlimactic, with many people scattered across the country for college. But classmate Krish Shah, 17, is optimistic.
“Health takes precedence over fun,” he said. “No point in throwing all our efforts away for one night, when we can have it at a later time in a safer manner.”