Hoover's decision to hold big graduation celebrated by some, derided by others
The Hoover school system’s decision to hold large graduation ceremonies for Hoover and Spain Park high schools next week has drawn both ire and praise from the community.
Some people say it’s irresponsible to bring that many people together as the COVID-19 disease remains in a community outbreak phase, while others say the Class of 2020 deserves to have a graduation ceremony like all the classes before them.
Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy said she certainly respects people who are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 and understands if some people are reluctant to attend.
But when school officials surveyed seniors and gave them options of having a traditional in-person ceremony or a drive-through or virtual ceremony, the latter two options were not warmly embraced. “It was obvious they wanted an in-person opportunity,” Murphy said.
The initial plan after the survey was to delay a graduation ceremony until June or July, but when Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday lifted restrictions that prohibited gatherings of 10 or more people as long as social distancing is followed, that opened the door for a larger gathering sooner, Murphy said.
Additionally, state schools Superintendent Eric Mackey provided guidance that school systems could have in-person graduation ceremonies as early as May 11.
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium was available for both of the original dates scheduled for the Spain Park and Hoover graduations (May 20 and 21, respectively), so after consulting with the school board and mayor of Hoover, that was the route they decided to take, Murphy said.
There were no guarantees that the situation would change by June or July, she said.
STADIUM CAN SEAT 10,000+
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium can seat 10,000 people for baseball, which should provide plenty of space for families to spread out around the stadium, Murphy said.
Hoover schools spokesman Jason Gaston said Hoover High has about 690 graduates this year and Spain Park has about 390 graduates. With four guest tickets per graduate, that would be at most 3,450 graduates and guests for Hoover and 1,950 for Spain Park.
Seniors will be required to be 6 feet apart at all times, including sitting in the bleachers and standing in line to get their diplomas, school officials said. Family members also will be asked to sit 6 feet apart from other guests.
The regular stadium seating may be enough to accommodate all the expected guests, but if necessary, school officials may bring in extra bleachers like they do for football games, Murphy said.
Seniors attending will be required to wear a mask but may briefly remove the mask when coming on stage for a diploma and photo. The school will provide a KN95 mask for each graduate to wear.
Everyone present also will be required to wear a mask as well, which is a change from original plans. Earlier this week, school officials said masks would be highly encouraged but not required. Now, the school system's website says anyone not wearing a mask will be refused entry to the stadium.
School officials are asking anyone who has a fever or other symptoms of COVID-19 not to attend the ceremonies. Those symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and/or loss of taste of smell. People with compromised immune systems also should not attend the graduation ceremonies, school officials said.
All seniors and guests will be asked to immediately return to their vehicles at the conclusion of the ceremony without gathering on the field, in the stands or in the parking lot.
CREATING A 'VIRUS BOMB'
Walt Stricklin, a Monte D’Oro resident who previously had two sons graduate from Hoover High, said he is not confident at all that the graduation ceremonies can be held safely.
“What this school superintendent has done is create a virus bomb,” Stricklin said. In a couple of weeks when the symptoms start to hit and the number of COVID-19 cases goes up, “I think she needs to be fired.”
There is no excuse for organizing a gathering for 3,500 people for an event that typically involves a lot of hugging and kissing, he said.
School officials can say they will implement social distancing protocols, but it’s not going to work, Stricklin said. “If my son walked up to me and wanted a hug at his graduation, I’d be hugging him,” he said. “And I don’t know who he’s hugged among his friends.”
Stricklin said he’s not so concerned about the people who choose to attend the ceremony contracting COVID-19. “That’s their choice. That’s their prerogative,” he said. “But they’re going to give it to someone who gives it to me, and that upsets me.”
Epidemiologists have found that infected people can walk around for 14 days or more without any symptoms, and some never show symptoms. But they can infect others with whom they come in contact.
One person in North Korea infected 80 people in one night, and one of the big outbreaks in Italy came from a sporting event, Stricklin said.
People choosing to hold the graduation ceremonies don’t care enough about the grandparents or others who may unwittingly become infected and get sick and/or die due to such contact, Stricklin said.
“I can’t believe they’re going to go through with this.”
Victoria DeLano, a resident of Trace Crossings whose 15-year-old son has a compromised immune system, said she can’t believe school officials would go against the advice of Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson, who recommended people not attend gatherings of 10 or more people at least through May 25.
While their family is very strictly isolated, "we would like our community to be as safe as possible so it doesn’t become a hot spot," DeLano said.
OPEN-AIR STADIUM
Jeff Solomon, a dentist who lives in the Lake Crest community, said he doesn’t see a problem with the graduation ceremonies proceeding. He has seen all the guidance and recommendations from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention, health departments and dental associations and doesn’t think the death rate from COVID-19 is alarming. Many of those people’s health was already compromised, he said.
He also doesn’t think people can hide from COVID-19. “It’s not ever going to go away, and you can’t live in a bubble,” he said.
The fact that the Hoover and Spain ceremonies are being held in a large open-air stadium is a positive as well, he said. “It’s not like they’re going to be on top of each other,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to see a large outbreak because somebody went to a graduation ceremony in an open-air venue. … It’s no different than going to the beach. It’s no different than going to the pool.”
School officials noted that this is an optional ceremony and that students and/or their families may choose not to attend, but each senior’s name will be called and highlighted on the jumbotron regardless of attendance.
"We're full steam ahead to celebrate our seniors," Murphy said.
For those who don’t want to attend, the graduation ceremonies will be livestreamed, and the link will be shared with seniors and parents prior to the ceremony, school officials said.
Spain Park’s ceremony will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, and Hoover’s ceremony will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 21.
Vestavia Hills High School will allow seniors to participate in their choice of two graduation events: a traditional graduation ceremony to be held on Tuesday, May 19, at 6 p.m. at Thompson-Reynolds Stadium on the high school campus, or a graduation for individual students and their families on May 20-21.
Shelby County officials on Thursday, May 14, announced that all Shelby County schools will have in-person graduation ceremonies at their respective school stadiums on June 1 or 2.
This article was updated at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, to indicate that Hoover school officials have changed their minds and now will require everyone attending both graduation ceremonies to wear masks.