Henry County Schools will end classes earlier than anticipated this year and is working on a plan to have prom and graduation festivities in mid-June, a district spokesman says.
The last day of school was supposed to be May 22, but will now end May 8 for seniors and May 15 for kindergartners through 11th graders, Henry spokesman JD Hardin said Wednesday.
“That’s if they are in good academic standing,” he said. “If there are some things that they need extra help with at that time they can get it.”
School systems across metro Atlanta are reevaluating their 2019-2020 calendar year because of the coronavirus, with DeKalb County and the International Academy of Smyrna in Cobb County choosing to end the term early while Gwinnett and Cobb have gone to a four-days-a-week class schedule.
The districts also have struggled with graduation and prom plans because of social distancing guidelines and the state's prohibition on gatherings of 10 or more people.
Hardin said Henry’s prom may be held the week of June 15 while graduation is planned for the week of June 22, or some variation of both.
“The weeks of June 15 through the 26th, as of right now, are designated as kind of our seniors week to try to get some of these activities accomplished,” he said. “This is predicated on whether we will be able to go back to normal activities by then.
“If we aren’t, this information could change once again,” he said.
Hardin said the district hopes to have more specifics on graduation and prom dates in the coming weeks.
“I don’t think we can set a specific date at this moment in time for graduation,” he said. “Just know that we are trying to do it on a certain week. Of course we’ll have to yield to the guidance of the CDC and the department of Public Health.”
