SLIDELL, La. — Education leaders in St. Tammany Parish are planning for virtual graduation ceremonies in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, but say in-person commencements are not off the table yet.
According to officials with the St. Tammany Parish Public School system, events like proms, award ceremonies and class trips are canceled for all eight district high schools. Leaders say there will be plans in place for in-person commencements if it becomes safe to hold them.
“We are working on plans for virtual and in-person graduations, if and when it is determined to be safe. We want to honor and celebrate our Class of 2020, and will release dates for virtual graduations as soon as plans are finalized," said STPPS Superintendent Trey Folse.
The update comes as part of a large coronavirus plan the STPPS rolled out Thursday, a day after state education leaders officially announced all Louisiana schools would remain closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.
According to parish school officials on the STPPS website, grading and test requirements have changed in response to the pandemic.
Notably, students will have the option to select a pass/fail option instead of a letter grade after they receive their report cards in the mail at the end of April.
While students will still need to demonstrate proficiency and pass a course to earn credit, the highest grade a student receives in the 4th quarter will now serve as their grade for that quarter. This will be averaged with the 3rd quarter score for their final semester grade.
The number of credits needed to graduate has not changed, but LEAP and ACT testing have been waived as a graduation requirement.
In-person exams are canceled and a 45-minute Advanced Proficiency exam will be taken online.
Students who do not pass a course will have options to demonstrate proficiency and complete the class for proper credit.
The STPPS has created a "Class of 2020" page on its website with frequently asked questions and relevant information for students, parents, and guardians. Click here for more
St. Tammany Parish's announcement comes the same day that the Jefferson Parish School district announced their graduation ceremonies were being moved from mid-May to early July.
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