The Edmonds School District has announced changes to high schools’ plans regarding filming of virtual graduation ceremonies, which will now have seniors being recorded as they drive up with their families to receive their diplomas.

According to the Thursday update signed by Assistant Superintendent Greg Schwab, Snohomish County appears unlikely to be ready to enter Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s four-phase plan to reopen Washington state in time for the 2019-20 school year commencement ceremonies.

Initially, the district-wide plan for graduation was to stream online a prerecorded virtual ceremony with seniors walking across the stage to receive their diplomas. Now, Schwab said plans for graduation will be similar to how seniors drove up at the high schools recently to receive their caps and gowns.

The scheduled release of the video graduation ceremony — on each schools’ originally announced graduation date — will remain the same, he added.

Those dates are:

“We are continuing with our plan to produce a high-quality video of each high school’s graduation ceremony that families will be able to watch and share with others,” Schwab said.

Each school will be sending out more specific details regarding filming, but graduates and their families should expect:

• Drive up to your school at your given time slot and remain in your vehicle.
• When directed, the graduate will get out of the vehicle and will be filmed receiving their diploma cover and will pose for a photo.
• Graduates must keep a face covering on their face until they are directed to remove it. Students are strongly encouraged to bring their own face covering as there will be a limited supply at each school for those that may forget or do not have access to one.
• Families are to remain in the vehicle and take photos from inside the vehicle.
  

“We want to thank all of our seniors and families for respecting the guidelines to keep everyone safe and healthy so we can put together virtual ceremonies during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Schwab said. “It bears repeating that we understand this is not how any of us wants our seniors to be celebrated. This virtual ceremony falls far short of the recognition that the Class of 2020 deserves.”