Sacramento-area high schools are planning in-person graduation ceremonies. Here’s where

It’s another sign that life is returning to normal.

Students across the Sacramento region will don caps and gowns at the end of May and early June and celebrate with their peers with in-person graduation ceremonies.

In accordance with state guidelines released on how to hold graduation ceremonies, school districts in the area have announced plans to hold ceremonies with limitations: attendees should be screened for a fever and COVID-19 symptoms, six foot distancing is required, and there are strict limits on how many tickets will be available to each student.

Here is what some of the larger school districts in the Sacramento region have planned:

Sacramento City Unified

District officials announced plans for 14 high school graduations. Attendees are expected to wear face coverings, remain distanced and expect screening procedures at entry. Each graduating senior will receive three tickets for family and friends.

Kindergarten, sixth grade and eighth grade promotions will be limited to virtual and drive-through celebrations, according to a district announcement.

“We know this might feel disappointing, and our district and school sites are disappointed too,” read a statement from the district. “We hope that with strong health and safety protocols, and increased vaccinations and testing that this will be the last year of events with such strong restrictions in place.”

Folsom Cordova Unified

Folsom Cordova Unified surveyed hundreds of graduating seniors asking them to choose one of two available options: Attend a traditional graduation with two tickets for family and friends, or attend a drive-through ceremony with as many family members in the car as students choose.

Students can only participate in one of the ceremonies, which will be held in May. Students are required to wear masks at both the in-person and drive-through ceremonies, except when they take photographs.

Families who expressed interest in having grandparents attend the ceremony opted to attend the drive-through ceremony, saying their children couldn’t see themselves graduating with only two family members present.

“He just couldn’t deal with not being able to have grandparents and other family that have supported him throughout life attend the ceremony,” Folsom High parent Devera Handy said of her son. “It was a very tough decision that he didn’t take lightly and one that he shouldn’t have had to make.”

Elk Grove Unified

Elk Grove Unified will hold in-person graduation celebrations for the more than 4,500 graduating seniors. The ceremonies will be held at both the Monterey Trail and Cosumnes Oaks high school stadiums.

Each school will hold two or three ceremonies to safely accommodate the four guests allowed to accompany each graduating student.

The ceremonies will also be recorded. Plans are in progress for kindergarten, sixth grade and eighth grade promotions.

Natomas Unified

Natomas Unified will host all graduation ceremonies in June at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, according to the district.

The ceremonies will also air on cable television.

Middle school promotions for the district’s seven junior high schools will take place at Natomas High School, Inderkum High School or Leroy Greene Academy.

San Juan Unified

San Juan Unified is planning outdoor high school graduation ceremonies in June at each school’s campus, according to officials.

The district is limiting the number of attendees, enforcing social distancing, requiring face coverings and providing assigned seating. Graduations will be livestreamed so that family and friends may also watch from home.

The district won’t host promotional ceremonies for kindergarten, sixth grade and eighth grade.

Twin Rivers Unified

Twin Rivers is hosting ceremonies for its eight high schools. Each graduate will receive two tickets for guests. Ceremonies will also be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend.

Students from the graduating class of 2020 are also invited to attend a graduation ceremony.

“Like all students last year, the graduating class of 2020 was abruptly shifted to online learning, and all extracurricular activities and social events were erased from their daily lives,” read a statement from the district. “It seems fitting that we offer them the opportunity to join us for a more traditional graduation ceremony, where they can be celebrated for their hard work, tenacity and perseverance.”

Middle school and sixth-grade promotion ceremonies will all be virtual.

Washington Unified

River City High in West Sacramento’s Washington Unified is providing each graduate with three tickets for ceremonies. River City is hosting the ceremony at Sutter Health Park.

“Our plans continue to be dependent on the state of the pandemic and the health and safety guidelines of Yolo county,” read a letter from high school principal Brittony Billingslea. “One of those measures is the capacity percentage of the ballpark as determined by the California Department of Public Health; therefore, there will be a set number of guests per graduate.”

Rocklin Unified

Rocklin Unified graduating seniors will attend in-person ceremonies in early June.

The ceremonies will all take place outdoors and will last about 90 minutes. Students will be able to invite four immediate family members to attend the ceremony, and the schools will livestream the events for family and friends not in attendance.

Ryan Wake’s son Taylor is graduating from Rocklin High School, and only Wake and his wife are allowed to attend. Wake said he will need to hire a babysitter to watch his daughters. The restrictions are disappointing to Wake.

“Even football games and baseball games have allowed households to attend events,” he said. “There is no longer any rhyme or reason to their decisions anymore. These kids have lost so much in the last year and a half and it’s just sad that they continue to look for obstacles instead of solutions. It has always been our thought process that the school districts put the children first but this whole pandemic has definitely showed the true colors that this is not the case.”

More than 1,000 seniors will graduate in the district.

“The Class of 2021 has demonstrated that they are resilient as they’ve endured consistent, unanticipated changes to their high school experience in the midst of a global pandemic,” said Roger Stock, Superintendent of Schools at the Rocklin Unified School District. “Each student remained committed to their academic goals as they quickly adjusted to four different learning models, including distance learning, two different hybrid models, and finally back to full day, in-person instruction.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.