JCBE Approves In-Person Graduations for Class of 2021

Ceremonies will include limited capacity, follow CDC and KDE health guidelines 

March 23, 2021 — Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) seniors will celebrate graduation with in-person ceremonies for the first time since 2019. The Jefferson County Board of Education approved the proposal at its meeting on March 23, 2021. 

All graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021 will be held at a JCPS school or facility with a controlled entrance and limited capacity. The commencement exercises will follow all current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) health and safety guidelines, including mask wearing and social distancing.

Due to the pandemic, all 2020 JCPS graduations were held virtually.

“Graduation is a pivotal rite of passage that helps usher young adults into the next phase of their life,” Dr. Pollio said. “As our community starts to regain some sense of normalcy, I’m excited that our seniors will be able to realize this important opportunity.”

Here are more ceremony details:

  • Schools will have to make every effort to hold ceremonies on their football field. 
  • Schools that do not have outside stadiums (J. Graham Brown School, Liberty High School, Phoenix School of Discovery and Jefferson County High School) will use the facility at Doss High School.
  • The graduating class for each school will be divided into groups appropriately sized to meet the current CDC/KDE guidelines and venue/stadium capacity.
  • Schools may have between one and five ceremonies, depending on the number of groups of graduates in the class.  
  • Each graduate will receive an allotted number of admission tickets to distribute to family members. The total number of tickets will be based on current CDC/KDE guidelines for outside stadium bleacher-style seating.
  • Ceremonies will be conducted on Thursday, May 27 at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and on Friday, May 28 at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. At least one school is also planning ceremonies on May 29. Each individual school will decide which times they will utilize. The proposal sets June 1 as a rain make-up date.

More information will be shared about how the Class of 2020 will be recognized at a later date.