Hello Fellow Lions,
First and foremost, I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I want all of you to know how
much I miss all of our students, but more importantly the Class of 2020.
much I miss all of our students, but more importantly the Class of 2020.
High school graduation is the most important event in a school year. However, this health crisis has
been disruptive like no other event in the history of Blooming Grove ISD. Blooming Grove ISD has
never cancelled a graduation ceremony. Therefore, we want to do everything within our power to
allow the class of 2020 to have a safe and memorable graduation ceremony. This letter is to inform
you of procedures that must be followed if your senior wishes to participate in a live graduation
ceremony on May 29, 2020. The safety measures are as follows:
been disruptive like no other event in the history of Blooming Grove ISD. Blooming Grove ISD has
never cancelled a graduation ceremony. Therefore, we want to do everything within our power to
allow the class of 2020 to have a safe and memorable graduation ceremony. This letter is to inform
you of procedures that must be followed if your senior wishes to participate in a live graduation
ceremony on May 29, 2020. The safety measures are as follows:
Graduation will be at 7:30 pm on May 29th.
Guests/Screenings
Graduation will be limited to 5 tickets per graduate; (tickets can be picked up at
the parade on Saturday or at the school on Tuesday)
Any persons with any symptoms of Covid-19 including fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, cough, shortness of breath, change in or loss of sense of taste or smell should seek
medical evaluation and not attend graduation;
All guests in attendance must sign waiver prior to entering the facility;
Hand sanitizer will be located at the entrance gate, bathrooms, gym, and
podium;
Participation in all events is strictly voluntary.
Graduation will be limited to 5 tickets per graduate; (tickets can be picked up at
the parade on Saturday or at the school on Tuesday)
Any persons with any symptoms of Covid-19 including fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, cough, shortness of breath, change in or loss of sense of taste or smell should seek
medical evaluation and not attend graduation;
All guests in attendance must sign waiver prior to entering the facility;
Hand sanitizer will be located at the entrance gate, bathrooms, gym, and
podium;
Participation in all events is strictly voluntary.
Arrival
There will be one entrance gate and one exit gate. These are marked on the visual (see
attached);
The area of the parking lot in front of the gym will be designated for graduate parking. The area of the parking lot in front of the football field will be designated for guest
parking. Staff will park at the high school building;
There will be one entrance gate and one exit gate. These are marked on the visual (see
attached);
The area of the parking lot in front of the gym will be designated for graduate parking. The area of the parking lot in front of the football field will be designated for guest
parking. Staff will park at the high school building;
The following staff will be stationed in designated areas to administer surveys:
■ Behind Gym: 3 staff members. 1 will give survey to seniors, board members, and admin;
■ Entrance: 5 staff members. 2 will give survey to families, 1 will conduct
drawing for seating, 1 will monitor program distribution, 1 will check in
groups;
■ Track entrance: 2 staff members;
■ Security: School Resource Officer, BG police, Navarro County Sheriffs, BG
Volunteer Fire Department. These will be located at the entrance and parking
lot prior to the ceremony. They will monitor during the event and move to
the exit gate and the parking lot at the end of the event.
Seating
The Home bleachers will have 36 individually marked seating areas with 12 feet of
seating space and 6 feet between each seating area;
The portion of the track directly in front of the Home bleachers will have 28
individually marked seating areas with chairs. Areas will have 6 feet of distance
between each seating group. We will designate these as Handicap seating areas as
needed; A photographer and videographer will be stationed in appropriate areas that are
marked on the visual;
Administration and school board members will be on the football field in chairs that
maintain social distancing;
Graduates will be on the football field in chairs that maintain social distancing;
Families will have assigned seating that will be determined by a random
drawing prior to entering the stadium. Families will not be able to draw for
seating until their entire party is present. They will be asked to remain in their vehicles
until all members are present;
At the time of drawing, both school nurses will be asking the required questions of all
who enter the facility;
Once all members are cleared for entry and seating has been determined, a staff
member will escort the group to the assigned seating;
Entrance gate will have clearly marked “Xs” to indicate where each group can line up
prior to entering. Security members will police this area.
The Home bleachers will have 36 individually marked seating areas with 12 feet of
seating space and 6 feet between each seating area;
The portion of the track directly in front of the Home bleachers will have 28
individually marked seating areas with chairs. Areas will have 6 feet of distance
between each seating group. We will designate these as Handicap seating areas as
needed; A photographer and videographer will be stationed in appropriate areas that are
marked on the visual;
Administration and school board members will be on the football field in chairs that
maintain social distancing;
Graduates will be on the football field in chairs that maintain social distancing;
Families will have assigned seating that will be determined by a random
drawing prior to entering the stadium. Families will not be able to draw for
seating until their entire party is present. They will be asked to remain in their vehicles
until all members are present;
At the time of drawing, both school nurses will be asking the required questions of all
who enter the facility;
Once all members are cleared for entry and seating has been determined, a staff
member will escort the group to the assigned seating;
Entrance gate will have clearly marked “Xs” to indicate where each group can line up
prior to entering. Security members will police this area.
Ceremony
After the ceremony begins, staff members will be dispersed throughout Home
bleachers and on track to help maintain social distancing. Places are marked on the
visual;
During the ceremony, gloves will be worn by one staff member handing diplomas to
the graduates and two board members who will hand diplomas directly to their
children. Handing diplomas directly to students will be limited to these 3 individuals;
Graduates will be allowed to “toss their caps” at the appropriate time in the ceremony. However, Graduates must be mindful of social distancing guidelines while retrieving
caps. Personnel with masks and gloves will retrieve the caps to distribute at a later date;
After the ceremony begins, staff members will be dispersed throughout Home
bleachers and on track to help maintain social distancing. Places are marked on the
visual;
During the ceremony, gloves will be worn by one staff member handing diplomas to
the graduates and two board members who will hand diplomas directly to their
children. Handing diplomas directly to students will be limited to these 3 individuals;
Graduates will be allowed to “toss their caps” at the appropriate time in the ceremony. However, Graduates must be mindful of social distancing guidelines while retrieving
caps. Personnel with masks and gloves will retrieve the caps to distribute at a later date;
Dismissal
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the audience will be instructed to remain seated
until a staff member escorts them to the exit;
Administration will lead all staff and students who are on the football field to the exit
gate when the ceremony has concluded. At that point, staff members will escort
families from the Home bleachers and track to the exit gate in intervals to maintain
social distancing. Security will be stationed near the exit gate and in the parking lot to
make sure families leave once they arrive at their vehicles;
Graduates will not be allowed to remain in any part of Lion Stadium once the
ceremony has concluded.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the audience will be instructed to remain seated
until a staff member escorts them to the exit;
Administration will lead all staff and students who are on the football field to the exit
gate when the ceremony has concluded. At that point, staff members will escort
families from the Home bleachers and track to the exit gate in intervals to maintain
social distancing. Security will be stationed near the exit gate and in the parking lot to
make sure families leave once they arrive at their vehicles;
Graduates will not be allowed to remain in any part of Lion Stadium once the
ceremony has concluded.
Thank you,
John Paul Gillen
John Paul Gillen