LAFAYETTE, La. — The Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS announced a new date for all high graduation ceremonies. All eight high schools will meet the weekend of July 9-11 instead of the previous dates this May.

While some education systems have opted for completely virtual commencement ceremonies, LPSS is holding out that must be a way to give seniors the graduation they hoped for this summer.

“It’s the milestone of your school years,” LPSS Superintendent Irma Trosclair told News 10, explaining why seniors deserve an in-person ceremony. “You know, it’s for kindergarten through twelfth grade. It’s a great accomplishment and a great achievement.”

An alternate date provided by the Cajundome is proving useful for the Lafayette Parish School System looking for a way to let graduates walk the stage. While eight graduations were originally planned for over the eight days of May 16-23, rescheduled graduations will happen over the three days of July 9-11.

According to Trosclair, “Seniors have been waiting. It just took a little while because we wanted to see where we were with the governor’s plans and different phases before we released anything.”

With safety being the number one priority, the superintendent admits it’s likely an in-person event will look a little different than they have in the past, “Will there possibly be some limitations on the number of folks who can attend? That’s quite possible. Will we have to require masks as folks are coming in? That’s quite possible. We can’t speculate right now, but we at least have to plant the seed.”

If the worst comes to pass, and no physical graduation can take place, plans are being made for that too.

Superintendent Trosclair said there’s a wide variety of virtual options, but no plans for such a ceremony would be announced until they reaccessed the situation at the beginning of June.

“It’s truly our hope and desire that we’re able to provide some sort of traditional graduation ceremony for our seniors. They absolutely deserve that.”

If you can’t make it to the graduation, the Cajundome does provide a streaming option. The school district said a detailed schedule for the class of 2020 graduations will be made available next week.

(Statement from the Lafayette Parish School System)

The Lafayette Parish School System is rescheduling all high school graduations for July 9, 2020 – July 11, 2020 at the Cajundome.

District leaders made this decision with the hope that it will be safe to gather for an in-person celebration by this date.

A detailed schedule will be made available in the next week, officials announced.

“Our seniors have worked hard to reach this milestone, and we want to celebrate this important accomplishment with a commencement ceremony,” stated Superintendent Irma Trosclair. “While still considering the health and safety of all, we are doing everything possible to host a traditional graduation. Ceremonies may look different than in years past as we continue to follow the guidelines set forth by health authorities, but we want the Class of 2020 to have their special moment and be recognized for their achievement.”

The district is announcing this change now to give families as much notice as possible.

In the event that it is not advisable to hold in-person commencement ceremonies in July, LPSS will hold virtual graduations.

Students needing diplomas for reasons such as military admissions will have the opportunity to receive diplomas prior to the July ceremonies and will be notified of a pick-up schedule by their individual school.

LPSS commencement ceremonies were scheduled to start May 16, 2020 and conclude May 23, 2020.

There are over 2,000 high school seniors in the Lafayette Parish School System.

Eight schools in the district have a 2020 graduating class: Acadiana High School, Carencro High School, David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy, Early College Academy, Lafayette High School, Northside High School, Ovey Comeaux High School, and Southside High School.