High school proms will be a little more creative this year.
At the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, Dr. Alicia Miguel, interim superintendent, said at Tuesday night’s school board meeting that it won’t be the traditional prom this year because of the need to mitigate COVID-19 risks. But the senior year is special and the schools were making preliminary plans, she said.
Dr. Troy Pitch, instructional improvement officer, said seniors at each high school were being polled to collect ideas on how to safely have a prom.
Prom will be different this year from the traditional events, because of COVID-19 restrictions, he said. Each campus will decide how to celebrate, with each taking comments from students, he added.
The KCK school district also has set plans for graduation this year in late May. Outdoor graduations at football fields are planned for the high schools, while indoor ceremonies are planned for the Bridges and Fairfax schools. The graduation plans, which are subject to COVID-19 restrictions, are at https://kckps.org/graduation-dates/.
Officials from other school districts discussed their alternative plans for prom and graduation during the Thursday news conference at the University of Kansas Health System.
The Shawnee Mission school district is planning a couple of proms at large indoor spaces such as the Grand Plaza at Union Station, with staggered attendance times, according to school officials, while other proms will be outside. Some proms will be on football fields, and will include line dancing, not traditional slow dancing. The Shawnee Mission district plans to vaccinate students who are 16 and older soon, which could lower the risk of COVID-19 before prom and graduation, according to officials.
The Park Hill, Missouri, school district is planning prom on football fields, with seating in small groups and masks. That district also is planning graduation outdoors at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, according to district officials, with livestreaming and limited attendance.
The Cooperating School Districts of Greater KC has surveyed districts and found that many canceled prom last year and skipped graduation, and this year they are planning to hold different types of proms and graduations, according to officials. Many proms will be held outside with an indoor backup plan, while graduations are being held in large outdoor venues, with masks and social distancing.