Union County School Board Votes to Host Traditional Graduation | Eastern NC Now

Publisher's note: The author of this post is Terry Stoops for the John Locke Foundation.

    WBTV has the details:

• The Union County School Board voted to host traditional graduation ceremonies while practicing social distancing- despite North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's order that prohibits them.
• ...
• The motion narrowly passed in a 5-4 vote.
• But discussions continued to explore back-up plans like hosting graduation in South Carolina or breaking up graduations into small groups that honor the governor's order.
• Violating the governor's order is a class 2 misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
• Chairperson Merrell says it would likely amount $11,000 fine because there are 11 high schools in the district.

    This sends a strong signal to other school boards in North Carolina that may be considering traditional graduation ceremonies.