CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Plans for in-person high school graduation ceremonies are tentatively back on in Wyoming’s biggest city.
The school district in Cheyenne has switched to distance learning for the remainder of the school year and was considering alternatives to traditional graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus.
Now, each of the city’s four high schools could have graduation ceremonies June 12 and 13 at Frontier Park Arena, where the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo is held each July.
“It will be very similar to the ceremonies we’ve had in the past. We probably will not have nearly as many people,” Superintendent Boyd Brown told the school board Monday.
Frontier Days organizers are meanwhile looking at the ceremonies as a trial run ahead of their event, Brown said.
Health officials say the 19,000-seat arena could accommodate around 5,000 people while following social-distancing regulations, Brown said.
The school district’s plan is contingent upon approval by Laramie County health officials, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports.
“Preliminarily our health officials were very positive about it,” Brown said. “Right now, I’m feeling like it’s going to happen.”
Wyoming State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist has approved the county’s three-phase plan to fully reopen over six weeks, starting as soon as May 15. People would still be encouraged to work from home whenever possible.
For most, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older people and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Officials say Wyoming has seen 444 confirmed and 152 probable cases of the coronavirus. Seven people have died. Wyoming has had the fewest coronavirus deaths of any state and tied with Alaska and Hawaii for the fewest deaths in proportion to their overall populations.
In other coronavirus-related news:
- The Wyoming Republican Party has divided this year’s state convention into two parts. Selection of national delegates and state party leaders will occur online this weekend. Officials tentatively plan to address other business in person in Gillette in late June, the Gillette News Record reports.
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