Indian River School District to hold outdoor graduation ceremonies

SELBYVILLE, Del. – The Indian River School District announced on Monday that it has received approval from the state of Delaware to host outdoor graduation ceremonies at Indian River and Sussex Central high schools.

Indian River High School will hold two graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, June 17th, while Sussex Central High School will hold four ceremonies on Thursday, June 18th. Graduating classes will be divided alphabetically to determine which ceremony each student will attend.

Indian River High School’s first ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on June 17th, and the second session will be held later that day at 12 p.m. For Sussex Central, the first ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on June 18th, and will include academic Top 10 and IB diploma students. The three other sessions will be held at 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. that day.

At each school, graduates will be allowed to have four guests attend their designated ceremony. Graduates and their families are asked to arrive in a single vehicle, and families will be assigned a reporting time for their specific ceremony. These times will be staggered starting 45 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony to limit foot traffic in the parking lot and on school grounds.

Face coverings must be worn by all graduates and family members once they exit their vehicles and enter the stadium. Hand sanitizer will also be made available at the stadium entrance.

Stadium bleachers will be marked off for four family members to be spaced at least six feet apart from other family groups. All attendees must sit in the bleachers, and standing will not be permitted. Graduates will also be spaced six feet apart and will maintain a safe social distance when exiting their seats to receive their diplomas. Following each ceremony, custodial staff will disinfect all seats, handrails, graduate chairs, podiums, microphones, and electronic equipment. Restrooms will also be sanitized using normal protocols.

Each school will send detailed instructions to parents in the days prior to the ceremonies. Attendees should follow instructions carefully to allow for an efficient entrance and exit from the stadium and parking lot.

Officials also say the ceremonies will be live streamed on the school’s Facebook pages.