Officials urge Gov. Cuomo to allow in-person high school graduations in July

In the letter, officials thank Gov. Cuomo for his strong, science-based leadership through this very challenging time.

News 12 Staff

May 27, 2020, 5:56 PM

Updated 1,649 days ago

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Long Island officials are among those who have sent a letter urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to allow in-person graduations for high school students in July.
In the letter, officials thank Gov. Cuomo for his strong, science-based leadership through the pandemic.
They urged Gov. Cuomo to allow New York school districts to safely hold high school graduations outdoors and in person in July by maintaining social distancing and following public health guidelines set by the Department of Health.
"I really think they governor needs to give some guidance to school districts to tell us what we can do to make it happen," says Oceanside High School PTA President Tara Brasch. "The parents, the school district, the students want nothing more than to have a graduation."
The officials go on to say they were heartened to learn that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy allowed such an effort to go forward in that state.
State Sen. Todd Kaminsky is leading the charge in the call to allow the graduation ceremonies.
"Could we split things up? Can we find a way to at least do something meaningful? I think we can and that's why I think the planning needs to start now," says Kaminsky. "If we plan now we can do it safely."
Oceanside senior Gabby Ricottoni hasn't seen most of her classmates in months. She says being together one last time would mean every thing.
"We just have hope that maybe something good can come out of this," says Ricottoni. "Even if it's months later, still having it on our field and keeping the tradition going would be extremely important."
News 12 reached out to the governor's office for comment but has not heard back.


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