An Open Letter From a Toms River High School Senior Parent

Graduation for Seniors at area High Schools continues to be up in the air, amidst the Coronavirus Crisis .... not only around the nation, but here in New Jersey. Monday Governor Murphy ran down prerequisites for "re-opening" New Jersey but no date .... so the school year continues to hang in the air.

Parents from around the State still wait to see if kids return and if they do will Seniors get to "walk" for graduation.

This week officials from Toms River Regional Schools  said they will have a "graduation" but not sure when it might be, although Thanksgiving holiday break next school year was mentioned.

Here is an open letter I received from a concerned parent .....

Good Morning Mr. Healy, Mr Keller, and Board Members.

I am a parent of two Toms River High School Seniors. Thank you first and foremost for addressing them on the BOE call / simulcast this past week - we do appreciate your care and concern. I know this can't be easy for anyone, especially given the care and concern for each of our students so clearly exhibited on the call

I am sure I speak for most of the Senior Class parents at all three high schools when we say Thanksgiving is not really an option for graduation. Now I am certain you receive multiple communications during this time, however we plead for your time and attention in this mater. Rather than be part of the problem, we would like to be part of the solution.

In the recent past, Toms River East, Toms River South, and Toms River North have spent considerable monies on upgrades to athletic fields and stadiums. Why not hold "Open Air" graduations on these fields, and possibly split it over the course of 2-3 days (for example last names A-G, G-N, O-Z etc... ) in efforts to maintain social distancing and reduce crowding. We could also impose limits on attendees - parents / siblings only for example while the ceremony be simulcast for the overflow population as is currently done for the TRN auditorium - or even YouTube live feed, etc.. We are empowered now with technology and usage we did not tap into in past years.
Considering the time we were just "given back" by the shortening of Spring Break, why not use this gift to our advantage?

Now we can appreciate that tents / chairs / etc could pose an issue and I am more than certain should the respective administrators reach their Senior Class parents we would rally together to find a way to help supply these items if need be.

We have an incredibly resourceful community - and as usual - Two Heads are Better Than One, Four Heads are Better Than Two - why not use this as an example of who we are #WeAreTR!

Thank you so much in advance for taking the time out of your day to read this correspondence. Wishing you and your families safety and health -

Kindest Regards
Concerned Parent

What do you think should be done for graduation? Tell us your suggestions in comments section below