SMSD announces East graduation plans for July 14, in-person or digital to be determined by June 15

It was confirmed on April 21 in a letter sent to seniors that there will be a graduation ceremony on July 14, whether it can be in person at Shawnee Mission North district stadium or through a virtual platform.

By June 15, the district is expected to make their decision about whether graduation will be in-person or not. 

When Gov. Laura Kelly closed schools for the remainder of the year, part of the order included a  prohibition of in-person graduation ceremonies until May 29. 

“The feedback we received was used in conjunction with the Governor’s guidance to develop two plans for graduation,” the letter stated. “Any final decision about whether we are able to have a gathering large enough to schedule an in-person graduation will be made based on guidance from the federal, state and local authorities.”

The district does not yet have a plan to distribute caps and gowns, but they are starting to plan for the possibility of a virtual graduation.