School Board moves graduations

By Scott Pearson
Posted 5/13/20

The Marshall County Board of Education voted Monday night to move graduations for the county’s three high schools to June. Scheduled for Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22, originally, ceremonies will now be held Thursday, June 18, and Friday, June 19...

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School Board moves graduations

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The Marshall County Board of Education voted Monday night to move graduations for the county’s three high schools to June.

Scheduled for Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22, originally, ceremonies will now be held Thursday, June 18, and Friday, June 19.

Sorrells said that discussions concerning graduation had been going on for weeks between school principals and himself.

“I really, really enjoy graduation,” he told the board. “It’s my favorite time of year.”

He added that, on a personal level, he would like to keep the May dates but that, professionally, moving the dates made more sense.

“We’ve decided that June is the best date for us,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to loosen some of the restrictions we face now.”

Sorrells was referring to Centers for Disease Control guidelines for gatherings, either indoor or outdoor, to not exceed 50 percent capacity and to maintain six feet spacing between attendees.

“The kids want that full gym, that big game atmosphere,” Sorrells said. “Our best opportunity is to get that is in June.”

Except for two counties, the other systems in the region had already made the decision to move graduations to June or July, he added.

Some board members expressed a desire to keep the May dates.

“Why not go ahead and do it in May,” asked board member Harvey Jones, noting that CDC recommendations were unlikely to change before June.

“You got to live with what we’ve got and move on,” he said. “I don’t see dragging it out.”

“I don’t think Marshall County is at risk,” said Kristen Gold. “We’re not dealing with what Nashville is dealing with.”

She said that in her discussions with students and their parents they wanted to go ahead with the May dates, but also did not want any changes to the ceremonies from previous graduation events.

Ultimately, Jones and Gold were the only votes in opposition to a resolution moving the graduation dates to June.

Board member Heidi McElhaney was not present.

Both Forrest and Marshall County High School are planning to hold the event outdoors this year. One argument in favor of moving the ceremonies was the potential for more favorable weather later on in the year.

Cornersville High School is still planning on an indoor ceremony, Principal Brent Adcox said, noting that if each graduate was allotted six tickets for guests then the gymnasium would only be at 35 percent capacity.

Sorrells said that planning was underway to live stream each of the ceremonies online this year, as well.

The impact of the COVID-19 closure was reflected in several other agenda items also.

Sorrells said that this meeting would normally see the board adopt next year’s budget, but that the county was moving more slowly on the process this year, in order to see more revenue data from the state.

“This year is anything but typical,” said Sorrells.

Sorrells also noted that $800,000 in additional federal funds were expected through the CARES Act, but no guidance had been yet received on how those funds could be used.

The board approved moving $350,000 from the general purpose budget into the food service department budget. The move is expected to be temporary but will help cover costs related to staff continuing to work while providing free lunches to students since the closure of schools on March 17. Expenses have not been offset by revenue from lunch purchases, but the expectation is that federal funds will close the gap when they are received.

Sorrells told the board that the lunch program would cease operation on May 20.