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Franklin Regional graduation officially postponed until July | TribLIVE.com
Murrysville Star

Franklin Regional graduation officially postponed until July

Patrick Varine
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Tribune-Review file photo
Franklin Regional School District officials postponed the district’s official graduation ceremony until July 24.

Franklin Regional graduates may have had a chance to do a drive-thru “graduation,” but if the real thing is going to happen, it won’t be until July.

School district officials announced over the weekend that plans for a traditional graduation ceremony will be postponed until July 24.

“Though we strongly believe that our current plans could allow the district to appropriately social-distance for this outdoor event and take the necessary health and safety precautions to protect those in attendance, this decision to postpone is a result of the current legal restrictions detailed in (Gov. Wolf’s ‘Reopen Pennsylvania Plan’),” communications director Cara Zanella wrote in an email to students and families.

The “green phase” of reopening prohibits gatherings of more than 250 people, and a discussion with the district’s solicitor led to the official postponement.

“Violating these restrictions could result in a loss of insurance policy coverage for this event and serious legal consequences for our district and state-certified administrators,” Zanella wrote.

That doesn’t change the fact that FR administrators, according to Superintendent Gennaro Piraino, have heard “loud and clear that (students) want to be together and celebrate together.”

“It’s a community celebration,” Piraino said. “We want that for our students. They deserve it, and I look forward to hopefully honoring them at that ceremony.”

For future updates on the July 24 date, see FRSDk12.org.

Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.

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Categories: Local | Murrysville Star | Westmoreland
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