Districts plan in-person graduations for 2020 seniors
HAMILTON » As the state battles COVID-19, the township is planning to host in-person graduation ceremonies this summer.
“If we are permitted under the law, we will hold a graduation ceremony for the class of 2020 on each high school football field on July 30th with a rain date of July 31st, that adheres to all social distancing guidelines at that time,” Dr. Scott Rocco, Hamilton’s superintendent of schools, said Wednesday in a community letter update. “We have picked the end of July in hopes that the governor increases the number of attendees allowed at graduation.”
Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday announced that school districts and higher education facilities may hold modified in-person graduation ceremonies effective July 6. The ceremonies must be held outdoors, adhere to social distancing protocols and observe capacity restrictions in order to protect the health of students and families celebrating these milestones amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to the governor’s office.
The state Department of Education was expected to release updated guidance for in-person graduation ceremonies this week, but seniors at Steinert, Nottingham and Hamilton West high schools can expect to participate in a physical commencement of some sort.
“We are excited for the opportunity to bring the entire class of 2020 together at each high school,” Rocco said, “and we hope the governor’s guidance provides more flexibility for an in-person graduation.”
Freshman Mayor Jeff Martin, a Democrat, worked closely with the Rocco administration during the coronavirus public health emergency and says the schools chief has “put together a great plan to give our graduating seniors as much of a normal experience as possible.”
“Our seniors have faced a lot of adversity this year and have had to grow up very quickly in unprecedented times,” Martin told The Trentonian on
Wednesday, adding inperson graduation “is the right thing to do to give them a proper acknowledgment of their accomplishment and a proper sendoff.”
Other school districts in Mercer County are exploring their graduation options.
Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried said his township is figuring out what to do about commencement.
“Nothing has been decided yet,” he said Wednesday, adding school officials are tossing around ideas like a drive-thru or drivein commencement ceremony. Attendance for any in-person commencement would likely be limited to the parents of each graduating senior, the Republican mayor said.
“I think we have to salvage something,” Fried added. “That would be my ultimate goal. But again, we really have to wait and see what the governor’s guidance is. It doesn’t leave the school with a lot of wiggle room.”
Hamilton, the largest municipality in Mercer County by population size, has about 1,400 total confirmed cases of COVID-19. The novel respiratory illness has killed at least 139 of the township’s residents, according to data released Wednesday.
While the virus continues to spread, “We are now well past the peak,” Murphy said Wednesday at his daily briefing.
The governor said he and his wife, First Lady Tammy Murphy, both got tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning.
Communities of color have been “ravaged” by the respiratory disease, Murphy said, adding he has spoken with governors from Montana, Ohio and Colorado to compare “notes and best practices” on re-opening.
New Jersey has been locked down for weeks due to Murphy’s COVID-19 mitigation tactics, but the governor has slowly relaxed his stringent stayat-home guidelines.
The state had another 970 positive cases for a total of 156,628 cases of COVID-19, Murphy said Wednesday. He reported another 148 deaths for a statewide total of 11,339, with about 43 percent of the deaths coming at nursing homes.
New Jersey reported 4,871 deaths at long-term care facilities linked to novel coronavirus disease.
New Jersey hospitals reported 2,761 patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 were being treated as of Tuesday night. Of those, 768 were in critical care, with 583 on ventilators, data show.
Murphy said 241 were admitted to the hospital Tuesday with COVID-19 complications.
“Our overall trajectory remains positive,” he said.
Since Murphy announced universal testing for inmates and New Jersey Department of Corrections employees, officials have tested 8,700 people with 19 percent coming back positive for COVID-19, health commissioner Judy Persichilli said.