Delaware schools can hold outdoor graduations, without hugs, state says

They won't be allowed to hug classmates from different households and may not even be handed a diploma onstage, but Delaware's high school seniors can have graduation ceremonies after all.

Under new rules announced by the Department of Education Tuesday, schools can host outdoor graduations with social distancing rules starting next week as the state begins reopening.

The announcement came alongside a slew of relaxations of Delaware's emergency coronavirus rules set to take place Monday — among them an allowance to hold gatherings of up to 250 people, or more with a permit.

Schools statewide have been closed since mid-March to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Teachers and school districts scrambled to make the transition to online learning for the rest of the school year. Parents and students mourned the loss of yearly traditions, with some getting creative to honor neighborhood graduates in impromptu parades.

Read more: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2020/05/26/delaware-schools-can-hold-outdoor-graduations-without-hugs-state-says/5263321002/

But the hugs were the best part about graduation, particularly since the person next to me walking in and out of the ceremony won the Miss Gulf Coast beauty pageant.