The senior class of Pickett County High School will graduate as scheduled. The ceremony for the Class of 2020 will take place on May 15, 2020 at 7 p.m. in the high school gym.

In recent days, superintendents were given guidance from the Commissioner of Tennessee Department of Education for graduation activities. This guidance was specific in that schools still had to observe and maintain COVID–19 social distancing. High school staff developed a plan that complies with that guidance and presented it to the Superintendent and Health Department for approval. The plan was approved with minor recommended changes.

Key parts of the graduation plan for the Class of 2020 at Pickett County High School:

• Seniors are allowed six guests at the ceremony and those guests will be seated close to each other. The gym seating is marked off for blocks of six and each block is six feet apart.
• Guests should begin arriving at 5:30 p.m. for immediate screening and seating. We expect to have everyone seated by 6:50 p.m.
• Arriving guest are asked to enter from Education Blvd to Skyline Drive. A welcome station on Skyline will issue masks to the groups of six, a ticket for each group, and asked to stay in their vehicle until called forward to the screening area. The group should arrive in no more than two vehicles and must park together. Once parked, groups will be called forward to the screening area according to the ticket number issued to you at the welcome station.
• Four screening stations will be set up to expedite entry. Temperatures will be taken and anyone with a temperature of 100.4° or more will not be allowed to enter.
• Staff will escort groups to their seats. In order to maintain separation, the gym will be filled from the stage area to the gym entrance. Guests must remain seated until time to leave.
• When guests are seated or at 7 p.m. whichever is later, the ceremony will begin.
• No one is allowed out of their seat to take pictures. Two professional photographers will be taking pictures. Those pictures will be posted online for families to download free of charge. The ceremony will also be videoed as well as snap shots taken of special moments and uploaded to a flash drive for to the seniors at no charge to them. The ceremony will also be live-streamed on the Pickett County High School Facebook page.
• After the ceremony, please remain seated, and staff members will escort groups out of the gym. We ask that you go directly to your vehicles and leave campus to prevent COVID–19 social distancing violations.

COVID–19 is changing how we normally live our lives, and this plan was developed with the guidance given to help keep the community safe.