No Dancing At Senior Prom, NJ School Tells Seniors: Report

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, NJ — Seniors at a South Jersey high school may not get the full prom experience this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

If Clearview Regional High School’s senior prom goes on as scheduled, there will be no dancing, 6abc reports. Principal Keith Brook informed students in a letter informing them that final plans will be announced at the end of the month.

In the letter, Brook reportedly cited the state’s current restrictions on indoor gatherings. Brook didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Patch on Friday.

Some students already have their dresses, but won't know if they'll get to wear them until the beginning of May, when the district plans to announce its final plan, according to 6abc."It's been sitting there since the last prom that we got canceled, and I was going to wear it this year," Kayla Mills, a senior at Clearview, told 6abc.

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Currently, banquet halls can host indoor gatherings up to 30 percent capacity or 150 people. Up to 200 people are permitted to get together for outdoor events. Read more: NJ Lifts More COVID-19 Restrictions: What You Can, Can't Do

“Hopefully they can do something outside,” one person wrote online in response to the news.
“What do the medical experts say about it? Would the kids agree to wear a mask except when they are eating and get their temperatures taken,” another wrote. “I know it’s ‘nerdy,’ but if it’s safe for their age group, and they’re attending classes together, why not? I hope something can be arranged; this is their last chance to be kids before becoming cynical adults like us.”

Like many high schools, Clearview canceled its prom altogether last year at the onset of the pandemic. Vaccinations are available now, and teachers have been given priority in New Jersey.

On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that all New Jersey residents 16 years of age and over will be eligible for vaccination beginning April 19. The prom is tentatively scheduled for June 4. Read more here: COVID Vaccines Will Expand To NJ Residents 16 And Older

And the school is preparing for a return to five days of in-person instruction on April 19, according to its website.

“I sure hope the schools do the best they can for the kids and give them everything they deserve,” read one comment on social media.

“Hope they get the chance to experience the joy of that special time,” another person wrote. “Terrible the youth are losing out on so many opportunities and memories. All because we are afraid to live again.”

Clearview Regional High School serves Harrison and Mantua townships. Harrison Township has seen 951 cases of the coronavirus and 10 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic more than a year ago. Mantua Township has seen 1,267 cases and 17 deaths.

What do you think about the possibility of the school’s seniors missing their prom for a second straight year, or about the idea of a socially distanced prom? Let us know in the comments below.