Brunswick County Schools reveal graduation plan despite community concerns

LELAND, NC (WWAY)–The Brunswick County Board of Education has set a plan in place to hold small graduation diploma ceremonies while remaining under the CDC’s guidelines of number of people allowed to gather. Those small ceremonies will be taped and edited together for a complete graduation video to highlight each of the counties three high schools.

This proposal has drawn arguments from students and parents of the Class of 2020. The board says with the hand they have been dealt something is better than nothing.

“My feeling is as much as everyone is discouraged about it, this is still something for them to have,”says Brunswick County Board of Education member Catherine Cooke. “There are other people out there that are in favor of this.“

Select students from each high school in the county were in attendance at the board meeting on Tuesday, asking for more time before making a decision on the event they’ve been waiting for their whole lives.

“Those small groups are not the kids I’ve spent the last four years with,”said West Brunswick High School senior Dean Peabody. “I see 300 other kids in my graduating class and it doesn’t wrap everything up, I don’t feel accomplished, it doesn’t feel finish.“

The decision from the Board of Education has parents questioning the board’s actions while handling the graduation proposal.

“If you really loved this idea and the board really thinks this is a great idea, why aren’t they celebrating it,”says West Brunswick High School parent Jo-Ann Peabody. “Why do it quietly under cover of darkness on a Friday night.“

At Tuesday’s meeting even fellow board members were thinking it may be better to wait before making a final decision on the outcome.

“What’s it going to hurt if we do wait it, we don’t know what the month of June is gonna bring,”says Brunswick County Board of Education member Charlie Miller. “Things could be lessened to where we could do something for all of them.“

The graduation plan goes into further detail on the Brunswick County Schools website , but students say they don’t see this as a proper conclusion for their four years of hard work.

“To me graduating is that stepping stone, like I finished high school, I’m going to college,”said West Brunswick High School senior Isaiah Yuricek. “This feels like it’s already a closing door opening to a new one.”

Brunswick County Schools Spokesman Daniel Seamans said the board agreed to hold two. As well as the plan to hold graduation for small groups of seniors at a time, a traditional graduation will be planned after state health officials give the green light to hold events with a large number of people in attendance.