Framingham High Considering Mid-August Graduation Ceremony

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FRAMINGHAM – For the senior class of Framingham High traditions continue to be eliminated due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Seniors were last in the hallways and classrooms of Framingham High in mid-March, and the Governor has cancelled physical school through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

The spring sports season never happened. AP exams are taking place online.

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Senior Prom was cancelled this week, and graduation ceremonies scheduled for Sunday, June 7 at Bowditch Field, will not happen.

But the Framingham High School administration is still working towards holding some-sort of graduation to let the class of 2020 celebrated their accomplishments.

Members of the class were surveyed about options.

• 49% of students said they would like a graduation when it is safe.
• 22.8% of students said they would like the graduation in August.
• 9.2% said the end of July would be best for graduation.

“We feel that mid August is a good compromise for allowing us to be together safely while also honoring the input from the Class of 2020,” said Framingham High Vice Principal Greg Lagan to students and their families on Friday, May 8. 

Under a Governor’s order no gatherings of more than 10 people can take place in the state until at least May 18.

It is unknown if that order will be extended, but it is important to note that the Framingham High Class of 2020 is just under 500 students, and around 525 students when you include the Thayer campus.

“We are still planning on holding a traditional graduation,” Lagan wrote to students & their families this weekend.

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However, any graduation plan would not only have to adhere to any social distance guidelines under a Governor’s order but also any rules established by the Framingham Board of Health.

“The City’s Department of Public Health, appropriately, is vetting all of our plans in minute detail – including the senior check-out plans that we recently sent out. For everyone’s safety, there are restrictions on who is allowed to be on hand and required personal protective equipment (PPE),” wrote Vice Principal Lagan.

“Based on student input, we are planning for either a Bowditch graduation in mid-August, should social distancing measures allow it, or a drive-in graduation that mimics a drive-in movie theatre at Cushing Park also in mid-August,” wrote Vice Principal Lagan.

“Please know that nobody planned for this pandemic and we are all managing as best we can. It is not easy for anyone, but we fight on,” wrote Lagan to families & students

Lagan said “many parents have offered suggestions based on what they are seeing in the news or hearing from friends and relatives. While we appreciate your input, Framingham’s unique situation makes these plans difficult. For instance, some have suggested a parade; this idea was rejected for equity and safety reasons. Some families do not have cars and we would not want students to carpool, thereby increasing the chance of infectious spread.”