HGHS 2021 Graduation Information

June 17, 2021

Dear Class of 2021 Families:

On June 16th, we received an updated guidance document from the NYS Department of Health, adjusting the parameters for our graduation ceremony, removing the need for further COVID screening and increasing our attendee capacity.

The new guidance shared with CCSD yesterday from the NYSDOH includes the following language:

Pre-K to Grade 12 End of Academic Year Celebration Events, including Graduations

The June 7, 2021 update to the Interim Guidance for In-Person Instruction at Pre-K to Grade 12 Schools During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency does not apply to end of academic year celebration events, such as graduations and moving-up ceremonies, which are large, public events that occur outside the scope of in-person academic instruction, scholastic, and extracurricular activities.

As announced by Governor Cuomo on June 15, 2021, most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted as 70 percent of New Yorkers aged 18 or older have received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination series. As New York has surpassed that threshold, the State's health guidelines—including social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing—will become optional for most industries, including pre-K-12 education end of year events. However, there are two exceptions that continue to apply to end of academic year celebrations:

Masks are still required for unvaccinated individuals, pursuant to federal CDC guidelines.
Large-scale indoor event venues — defined as venues that have an indoor capacity of greater than 5,000 — will still follow the State's existing health guidance for large events.

In response to this new guidance, we have made the following adjustments to our plan for graduation:

Graduates and attendees will not need to show proof of vaccination status/negative test result, or complete the health questionnaire.
In addition to the two guests seated with the graduate on the competition field, graduates are now able to register two additional guests (for a total of four). These two additional guests will be seated in the competition bleachers.

Please use this link to register up to two additional guests by 3:00 p.m. today, June 17th. Only registered guests with valid passes will be admitted to the ceremony.

Graduates will receive all passes at today’s graduation rehearsal, which begins at 4:00 p.m. (along with their caps and gowns). We will only distribute passes for registered guests.
Unvaccinated attendees must wear masks. Vaccinated attendees are not required to wear masks.

Due to limited parking, we strongly encourage guests to arrive in one car with their graduate.

We are so pleased that this new guidance from the Department of Health has allowed us to invite additional guests to our ceremony as we celebrate the Horace Greeley High School Class of 2021.

Should you have any questions, please contact Dr. Gamma at rogamma@chappaquaschools.org.

Sincerely,

Andrew Corsilia
Principal

Christine Ackerman
Superintendent of Schools