Plans for Clear Creek ISD’s on again, off again graduations have been finalized and will be held May 29-June 2 “in our own backyard.”
CCISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Smith, flanked by his high school principals, announced to the Class of 2020 via Livestream that all Clear Creek ISD graduations will be held at the District’s Challenger Columbia Stadium according to the following schedule:
- Friday, May 29, Clear Lake High School at 8:30 p.m.
- Saturday, May 30, Clear View High School at 8:30 a.m.
- Saturday, May 30, Clear Creek High School at 8:30 p.m.
- Sunday, May 31, Clear Falls High School at 8:30 p.m.
- Monday, June 1, Clear Horizons Early College High, 8:30 a.m.
- Monday, June 1, Clear Springs High School at 8:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 2, Clear Brook High School at 8:30 p.m.
Rain plan dates are Wednesday and Thursday, June 3 and June 4.
With the hope and expectation that in-person indoor ceremonies would be allowed by the end of July, the District had secured NRG Stadium to graduate students from the five large comprehensive high schools and hold ceremonies for the two smaller high schools at Clear Falls High School.
However, on May 5 Gov. Greg Abbott announced graduation ceremonies could only be held outdoors due to COVID-19 concerns.
“We were at a crossroad,” Dr. Smith said in the Friday announcement. “Do we stay the course and hope the indoor restrictions would be lifted by late July or change direction and move outdoors?”
In light of the May 5 state announcement, the District surveyed senior families to request feedback on three options: Stay the course for NRG and Clear Falls locations, with the risk of indoor ceremony restrictions could still be in place on July 26; pivot to a virtual ceremony; or, move to the outdoor ceremony plan at Challenger Columbia Stadium, with TEA safety guidelines in place.
“Overwhelmingly you told us, ‘Let’s do this!’” Smith said. “Let’s graduate our students in our own backyard.”
The Texas Education Agency released explicit graduation requirements for school districts to address the public health concerns for outdoor ceremonies.
Due to the current 25% venue capacity mandate, graduates are limited to four guests each. Other COVID-19 safeguards that will be in effect include the use of face coverings by graduates, guests and staff, and spacing graduates six feet apart and families in the bleachers six feet apart from families in a different household. Additionally, CCISD will have extra security and paramedics at the stadium. Graduates, families and staff will be required to provide self-health assessments prior to entering the stadium as was also mandated in the TEA guideline report.
Students will be seated on the field in alpha order and those seats will be matched to color coded quadrants in the bleachers. Families will be directed to sit in the corresponding color quadrant in an effort to place parents in closer proximity to their graduate. Entry tickets and parking placards will align with the quadrant color coding system for streamlined and safer entry and exiting of the stadium.
Graduates will receive notification from their high school as to when they may to pick up their family tickets as well as detailed protocol instructions.
For the latest 2020 graduation plan updates, visit www.ccisd.net/Classof2020
