Black Horse Pike Schools Working With Venues For Proms Amid COVID

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Officials with the Black Horse Pike Regional School District are working with local venues on ways to hold the schools’ senior proms as restrictions surrounding indoor activities continue to ease.

“For example, Highland's Senior Prom is at Brigalias and their capacity is 300, so only 150 tickets, as of now, can be sold,” Black Horse Pike Regional Superintendent of Schools Brian Repici told Patch on Thursday. “There are 282 seniors at Highland, so Highland administrators and the senior class officials will have to figure out plans if their requests to attend exceed the capacity limit at Brigalias. Each school administration and senior class officials will have to do the same.”

Coordinating end-of-the-year activities has been difficult for districts across the state. Guidelines can fluctuate based on the activity report for different areas throughout the state, which is released weekly.

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The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has said proms must adhere to the protocols for indoor and outdoor dining. Dance floors will also be permitted to open, with mask-wearing and social distancing in place. Read more here: NJ Eases COVID-19 Rules For Proms, Graduations, Other Activities

For graduations and awards ceremonies, school districts and institutions of higher learning will have the option of using a large venue with a fixed seating capacity, the DOE and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) said. They don't need to count faculty, staff, and graduates when considering seating capacity, but they do have to count all other members of the general public.

“Our graduations will be held outside, in our stadiums (a large venue) and we will be able to accommodate the graduate and grant them 4 tickets each,” Repici said.

Gov. Phil Murphy has also been advocating for a full return to classroom instruction, possibly by the end of the 2020-21 school year. Read more here: NJ Needs All Kids Back In Classrooms Amid COVID

It’s part of a larger effort to move back to normal as the state and the country attempts to move past the pandemic.

On Monday, governors in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut announced capacity limits at restaurants, stores, offices and other areas of life are set to be lifted by May 19. Read more here: 'Major' COVID Reopening In NJ: Here's What's Planned