As residents of New Jersey experience yet another day of extreme heat, a number of high schools are modifying their outdoor graduation ceremonies and start schedules.
The modifications were made the day after two high school graduations in Paterson caused 150 guests to have heat exhaustion treatment, including 16 hospitalizations.
According to the superintendent’s office, Fair Lawn High School in Bergen County had originally scheduled an outdoor ceremony to begin at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
In the hopes that even a small delay will allow the temperatures to drop, the Bergen County school celebration will instead begin at 7 p.m. on Sasso Field. A cooling station and the opportunity for family members to relocate inside an auditorium to watch a livestream of the event will also be provided by the school.
The following other schools have modified their ceremonies because to the heat:
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Plainfield High School in Union County moved its high school graduation earlier to 9 a.m. Tuesday, citing the heat.
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Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School said it will move its graduation to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Perry Tyson Field due to the heat, the local news siteTapIntoSPF reported
. The Union County school will also offer a cooling station and an indoor option with a livestream.
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Union High School moved its ceremony from Monday evening to Tuesday morning at Cooke Field,TAPinto Union
reported. By 6 p.m., the turf is exposed to hours of direct sunlight and can reach extremely high temperatures, creating potentially unsafe conditions, the superintendent said in a letter to the community.
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The Wayne Hills High School and Wayne Valley High School graduation ceremonies are scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, but local officials are urging people to consider whether they want to attend. The local office of emergency management said all those that have reason to attend are encouraged to consider the available live streams that both schools are offering to view the graduation rather than attending in person on the field, announcement read.
Each senior at Fair Lawn High School received two tickets to the auditorium for family members who choose not to sit outside.
According to the district, a livestream setup will be available in the high school auditorium for relatives and loved ones who prefer to stay inside.
Due to worries that the heat index, which is a combination of heat and humidity, could exceed 110 degrees, the National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for nearly the whole state of New Jersey through 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Although the heat index along the Jersey Shore could reach 105 degrees, a less severe heat advisory is in effect for coastal sections of Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth, and Ocean counties.
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