Poplar Bluff School District will take a cautious approach to two large events in the coming days, prom on Saturday and graduation on Tuesday, school personnel said during a briefing Wednesday with county officials.
The events come as Butler County is seeing its largest spike in COVID-19 cases, and first among people under the age of 20.
Both events will be held at the Black River Coliseum with some changes in place. They had been postponed by the pandemic.
High School Principal Michael Owen said the district submitted a plan to the Butler County Health Department will continue to follow phase 1 state guidelines for social distancing. Gov. Mike Parson moved the state into phase 2 of the recovery plan earlier this week.
“I think everybody is anxious to get back to normal but we have to be cautious to our approach,” Owen said. “We want to make sure our students are safe.”
Emily Goodin, administrator of the Butler County Health Department said the school’s plan, “looks pretty good.”
The health department has reported 13 new cases of the virus in the county since Sunday. Among them included the first three in the under 20 age group.
Statewide, Missouri health officials announced 211 new positive tests Wednesday, the fourth time in five days that the number of new cases has been above 200. There were also 27 deaths reported, bringing the total to 909 in 92 days.
To help slow the spread of the virus, which for many causes mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough that can last up to two to three weeks. For anyone with preexisting health issues, COVID-19 can cause more sever illness, including pneumonia.
Since the prom was postponed from its May date, Owen said he has been meeting with student leaders through videoconferencing to determine how they wanted to proceed.
“We’re excited to be able to offer it for our kids,” Owen said.
Poplar Bluff’s prom will be held from 7-11 p.m. Saturday at the Coliseum with doors opening at 6 p.m. for the Grand March. Students will need to have purchased their tickets and there will be a $1 admission for the public to view the Grand March.
The school announced it is permitted to admit 1,700 guests in the building and will also show the Grand March and the crowning of the king and queen in a broadcast on the PBHS Facebook page.
Owen said the 1,700 capacity is nearly double the number that attended last year when the school first used Facebook Live to show the Grand March.
“Historically we run about 1,000 in attendance,” Owen added.
There will be enough seats in the upper level of the Coliseum to allow for some distancing, he said.
One of the changes this year is having the coronation of the king and queen moved to the start of the prom following the Grand March. Another is the change to the meal, which will only feature a dessert menu that will be served.
There will be six chairs per table to allow for social distancing and there will be a DJ and dancing.
Masks are not required, however, Owen said they are encouraged.
The prom and graduation were planned before the state order was lifted. Owen said the district is sticking with the changes and additional measures out of an abundance of caution.
“We can never guarantee someone wouldn’t get sick,” Owen said. “We want to take all the precautions we can and we want to emphasize that with our kids.”
Graduation will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Coliseum.
Admission will only be allowed to those given a ticket but the ceremony will also be broadcast on the PBHS Facebook page.
Students will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday to practice for the ceremony and, unlike previous years, will need to be at the Coliseum at 5:30 p.m. in their chairs.
In the past, students were bused from the high school for the ceremony but to maintain social distancing there would be too many buses and slow the process, Owen said. Students will also not enter side-by-side, as they have done in the past.
There will be 29 rows filling the Coliseum floor to spread out the senior class. Seating will be at approximately 75% capacity, Owen said.
Students that are attending Project Graduation will need to meet at 9:45 p.m. at the high school with the event being held from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. at the middle school.
Poplar Bluff’s school year officially ended May 21 with students working from home during a Wellness Break that started on March 23. The last full day of classes ended up being Friday, March 13, before the start of spring break.
That break has slowed fundraising for prom and Project Graduation. Ticket sales for prom are down by nearly half and Owen said the event has “not quite broken even yet.”