County OKs In-Person Graduation Ceremonies With Restrictions

ROCKVILLE, MD — After more than a year of online learning and social distancing, high school seniors in Montgomery County will be able to celebrate graduation in person.

In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the County Council approved a measure that will allow for in-person commencement ceremonies, but with coronavirus-related restrictions.

"I think it's really time to let our students and our children have more of a return to normalcy," Councilmember Hans Riemer said, reiterating that all Marylanders aged 16 and above are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The County Council, which sits as the Board of Health, have issued the following guidance for in-person graduation ceremonies:

• The total number of persons present at an outdoor graduation ceremony must be limited to 50 percent of the outdoor venue’s maximum occupancy
• If an outdoor venue does not have a formal certificate of occupancy, 40 square feet per person must be used to calculate the occupancy limit
• The total number of persons present at an indoor graduation ceremony is limited to 25 percent of the maximum occupancy or 250 people, whichever is smaller
• A school that plans an indoor graduation ceremony must obtain a Letter of Approval for their plan showing how it would meet the general requirements of the regulation
• A record of everyone attending the graduation must be kept for 30 days to enable contact tracing;
• The school must identify a point of contact for an attendee to notify if they test positive for COVID-19 within two weeks after the event, and the point of contact must notify the county's Department of Health and Human Services within one business day of notice of a positive test
• No more than 10 people can be on the stage at one time
• The ceremony must last no more than two hours
• Members of the audience from different households must remain at least six feet apart at all times
• Signage explaining the infectious control requirements must be posted at the venue
• No group or staged photography
• No congregating or gathering in common areas both inside and outside of the venue before or after the ceremony
• A masked speaker must be at least 12 feet from the audience and an unmasked speaker must be at least 18 feet from the audience
• Diplomas must be distributed without handshakes or physical contact
• No food or beverage concessions at the ceremony

The amended Board of Health regulation and the Council staff report can be viewed here.