The Salem Community High School Board has set graduation for Sunday, May 16th.
Superintendent Dr. Brad Detering says the ability to use remote and e-learning days during the recent snow storm will allow for an early end of the school year since no snow days had to be used during the past two weeks. He lays a decade of technology improvements to their success in delivering classes remotely when students haven’t been able to attend in person.
“The importance that the staff and district had put on technology, continuing to make improvements and training our staff and their willingness to take that training and put it into place. So what we have been seeing is a culmination of the efforts that have been put in over the last ten years.”
Detering says the last day of class for all students will be May 19th.
Detering says it is unclear what graduation will look like, noting it may have to be held outside if COVID-19 restrictions in May will still prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people inside.
Detering reported the schools transition team would meet Wednesday to discuss the possibility of returning to class for a full day. The biggest issue will be how to handle lunch where 170 students would be assigned to each of the three lunch periods.
The transition team will also begin discussion of final exams as well as graduation.
Detering notes having no on-campus student attendance over the past two weeks has dropped their COVID-19 list to just one close contact. However, the closure prevented gathering data on the impact returning to class five days a week would have on COVID-19 numbers before a decision was made to extend the school day.
