GEORGETOWN, DE -- Sussex Central High School's Class of 2024 will walk the stage later than expected now that the district has rescheduled graduation for safety reasons.
The graduation ceremony, initially scheduled to take place Wednesday, May 29th at 7 p.m., will now take place on Saturday, June 1st at 10 a.m.
In a statement to WBOC, David Maull with the Indian River School District says:
"This is the largest event we host in our district and we are trying to be proactive in assuring the best possible experience for our approximately 400 SCHS graduates and their families. This is a model used by many college and universities and one we believe provides the best option for the safety of all attendees."
Last year, a fight broke out right after Sussex Central's graduation ceremony. Police arrested two people in connection to the fight.
Sussex Central bus driver Marian Spahr feels issues have only increased since.
"Even this school year, there's been more violence," says Spahr. "Just different incidents at more games and stuff like that. It's sad to see that there's been an increase in violence even during the school hours, during the day, after hours, after sporting events. It's just really sad."
She doesn't foresee the change preventing anything.
"If somebody wants to do something, if somebody wants carry some kind of violent act out, they're going to do it," says Spahr. "It doesn't matter what time of day it is."
But Sussex Central student Claire Meyer sees promise in the earlier hour.
"In the morning, I feel like it's a lot calmer," says Meyer. "I think it will help."
Sussex Central will be providing up to eight tickets to each graduate and two tickets if weather forces the ceremony to move indoors.