On May 28, 2020 the Union County, NC school board voted to hold in-person graduation ceremonies in defiance of Governor(D) Roy Cooper’s executive order prohibiting mass gatherings of more than 10 people inside and 25 people outside.
UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Union County has announced it is holding in-person, traditional graduation ceremonies with social distancing measures in place. The district had an emergency board of education meeting Thursday evening to discuss the graduation plans.
The Union County Public Schools Board decided in a 5-4 vote to hold the ceremonies in an outdoor stadium where students would maintain social distancing.
According to Phase 2 of the North Carolina reopening plan, educational institutions are not included in the limitation of gatherings of 10 or more indoors or 25 or more outdoors. But the governor’s office did clarify that the exception for schools was not intended for large, in-person events, such as graduation ceremonies.
Although breaking the order is considered a Class 2 misdemeanor, enforcement falls to state and local authorities. The Union County Sheriff’s Office eagerly concurred with the Board of Education, despite an apparent complete lack of a plan.
Statement from the Union County Sheriff’s Office:
The Union County Sheriff’s Office is aware that the Union County Board of Education voted Thursday evening to hold traditional in-stadium graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2020. The dates and details concerning these ceremonies have not been finalized but we understand that plans will include guidance from public health officials in order to ensure the safety of students, staff, family members and others in attendance.
Several questions have been asked regarding these in-stadium ceremonies and whether the Union County Sheriff’s Office will enforce Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order as it relates to the maximum number of persons permitted at outdoor gatherings.
Sheriff Eddie Cathey stated, “Members of the Union County School Board are duly elected officials by the citizens of Union County. We respect and support their authority and will not interfere with any decision approved by the Board.“
Marvin Ridge High School — the 16th ranked high school in North Carolina — held its graduation on June 24, 2020. The ceremony was held outside with chairs spaced 6 feet apart, but one photo posted on the graduating class’s public Facebook page shows a group of twelve students posing shoulder to shoulder. Two are wearing masks.
Exactly two weeks later:
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WBTV Web Staff | July 7, 2020 at 4:27 PM EDT - Updated July 8 at 10:06 AM
UNION COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - Union County Public Health officials say they have confirmed two COVID-19 clusters related to school functions.
Officials have identified 16 people who tested positive for COVID-19 who all attended the Marvin Ridge High School graduation. A portion of the individuals attended additional graduation-related gatherings not affiliated with the school district, “however the only common link among all of the positive individuals was the graduation ceremony.”
The second cluster was identified at East Union Middle School and involved five staff members who were working together, officials said.
There is no word on the current condition of any of the new patients and no names have been released per privacy protocols.
Union County is located just southwest of Charlotte and voted 64% — 32.9% for Donald Trump in 2016.
If anything happens to any of these kids, the Union County School Board and Sheriff have blood on their hands.