POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Public schools announced it plans to have in person graduation ceremonies in June. 

Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd said a survey revealed that’s what the majority of seniors wanted and the district is striving to make them happy. 

• Ceremonies will abide by CDC's social distancing guidelines, superintendent says
• Not all school board members happy with decision, await details of plans with concerns for safety
• More Polk County news

Hundreds of people commented on a post on the Polk County Public Schools Facebook page announcing the news, many of them overjoyed. 

But Lake Gibson High School Senior Class President Czerise Villiers wonders if it will be safe. Her graduating class has about 400 students.

“I was happy but I was also shocked, because like, with how the coronavirus is right now, I didn’t know that we’d be able to do it that soon, so I am still kind of worried,” Villiers told us. 

The honor roll student said she still worries the ceremonies will get postponed again and would’ve preferred to have the ceremony in July, one of the options on the survey. 

Her mother, Saundra, said she’ll support whatever the district decides. She added she’s glad there will be a traditional graduation ceremony and plans to attend. 

“If I have to wear my mask, if I have to be protected, I just feel that this is a moment that I do not want to miss," she explained. "Again, I feel that Polk County Schools is going to take all the measures to make sure that everybody in attendance is going to be safe."

Some school board members still have concerns

Byrd said the ceremonies will abide by the CDC’s social distancing guidelines but she hasn’t released plans for how it will make that happen. 

School board member Kay Fields said she supports the decision to host the traditional graduation ceremonies. 

“Superintendent Byrd and her team once again have demonstrated that they put students first," Fields said. "They listened to the graduating seniors and their families through the survey that was done and now she and her team are working hard to make a traditional graduation happen for the graduates. My role as a school board member is not to plan graduations. This rests entirely upon the superintendent, and I trust her to do her job!”

School board member Billy Townsend, on the other hand, said he has concerns and is withholding support until he learns of the details.

“I think kids are very excited," Townsend said. "They’ve been told they’re going to have a traditional graduation and I’m very concerned we’ve over-promised for them."

“If that involves putting a couple thousand people on a field somewhere even if with the idea of social distancing, I’m not sure that is going to be a viable thing to do,“ he added.

Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered Floridians Wednesday to continue avoiding being in groups of more than 10 people unless physical distancing can be achieved. The order is indefinite.  

Other school districts in the Tampa Bay area are also making these decisions. Hernando, Sarasota, and Hillsborough County School districts have said they’ve pushed back their traditional graduation ceremonies until mid and late July. ​