KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Since the Knox County Board of education released its tentative graduation plan many parents felt like Glenna Donnell.
"I was completely heartbroken," she said.
After Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs weighed in with his disapproval, we brought some parent questions to Superintendent Bob Thomas.
"We received guidance from the Tennessee Department of Education and from the health department," Thomas said.
He said they were given some suggestions like having drive-thru ceremonies, having multiple ceremonies or utilizing outdoor stadiums. They finally settled on stadiums, which Thomas says still posed an issue.
"Some can hold families and relatives, but some stadiums maybe cannot,' he said.
He then touched on guidance from the Knox County Department of Health, which the board said it worked closely with to adhere to public health guidelines.
"The guidance that was provided was to wait to have an audience present,"
he said.
In a nutshell, Thomas said the board worked to follow the rules laid out given the circumstance.
"We tried to develop a plan that would follow those guidelines," he said.
He reiterated that the plan is not set in stone and another solution isn't off the table.
"We're still looking if there's a way to follow these recommendations and allow parents to attend. Ultimately that's what we will like to see," he said.
Donnell said she is hoping to see another option because seeing her son graduate from Farragut in the coming months is something she's wants the opportunity to be able to witness.
"As a parent I want to be there, it's important to highlight those things you have to see those accomplishments," she said.
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