ALBANY — As school district across the state were largely in limbo regarding graduation ceremonies — with some area districts tentatively planning on using drive in theaters, large venues the Times Union Center or holding limited rites on their home turf — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday, cleared up some confusion.
By state mandate, districts can only hold graduations at drive-in theaters or hold drive thru ceremonies, where, presumably, families can drive their graduates to the ceremony and drive by to receive their diplomas.
While he said the state will continue evaluating the situation, the order did appear to eliminate any possibility of in-person ceremonies as desired by many parents and students.
“I get this. I get this on a personal level,” Cuomo said, adding his daughter did not have a college graduation ceremony this year. “It is one of those real moments in life. Going to a college graduation or a high graduation, so not having one is painful. This just a bizarre time.”