The pandemic has brought about trying times all over the world – including within the Pascack Valley community. These frustrations flared on Friday, May 8 following backlash to an email sent out by district Superintendent Erik Gundersen, stating “Parents and students have made it abundantly clear they want an in-person graduation, and we are in the process of planning one.” 

Hana Shapiro, a 2016 PV graduate, was the primary advocate against a potential in-person graduation, making a Facebook post expressing her concerns and encouraging others to reach out to Gundersen to do the same. 

“I did not feel that it would be safe, regardless of what the state says, should the Pascack Valley school district hold an in-person graduation,” Shapiro said. “The reason for me saying that is because there is so much that is unknown about this coronavirus.”

Following her post, Shapiro began receiving an abundance of comments both agreeing and disagreeing with her message, many of the latter coming from current PV seniors and parents. Shapiro said the post received “a huge onslaught of hurtful and offensive comments” from a multitude of community members.

However, Senior Class Council President Emily Kennedy emphasized that, while the comment section did “get out of hand,” the intention of the grade was not to come off as offensive or threatening.

“Most of us were just giving our opinions about how we are upset that our second semester and all of the fun events of senior year have been taken away from us,” Kennedy said. “And to see so much taken away from us in such a short period of time and then see a public Facebook post of someone trying to take more away from us — [it] definitely angered a lot of people.”

Kennedy also stressed that those who left inappropriate comments are “not an [accurate] representation” of the Class of 2020.

Allison Toledo, another 2016 PV graduate, took Shapiro’s side and was able to encapsulate their concerns over a potential in-person graduation.

“I totally sympathize [with the seniors] — it is a really difficult situation for everyone,” Toledo said. “With that being said, I think there are very real public health concerns that involve not just the people who would attend a theoretical in-person graduation, but the entire [surrounding] area.”

She also noted the importance of considering “the worst case scenario” and thinking about “what could go wrong.”

Kennedy agreed that safety is the priority while also expressing trust that the administration would have only held the in-person ceremony if risk could be minimalized.

“What [Shapiro] said was valid,” Kennedy said. “Having an in-person graduation ceremony [could] be a danger to the community, but the school would not go about it without considering the safety of others.”

While disappointed in the manner of a number of responses, Shapiro said that the seniors’ “feelings are valid” and that she could relate to the emotions that many seniors are feeling at this time, though to a lesser extent.

“I’m sure that I don’t have 100% of a grasp on the emotions that [the seniors] are feeling at this time,” Shapiro said. “While I also had my college graduation cancelled, my college graduation [consists of] thousands of people and it is not as strong of a community as Pascack Valley is.”

As this entire debacle is now in hindsight following the post being made private, it has become clear that it was all over an in-person ceremony that is highly unlikely to happen regardless.

“Just a couple hours [after sending out the email about a potential in-person graduation], the [New Jersey] governor came out and said we can’t do anything except for virtual graduation ceremonies,” Gundersen said in an email to the Class of 2020 and its parents on Friday afternoon.

Gundersen said the district is taking a “hybrid approach” to graduation, ensuring that there is no human-to-human contact while still incorporating an in-person component to the ceremony. While there can be no in-person ceremony, the plan is highlighted by a car parade to go along with a possible in-person gathering during the summer if state regulations allow.“I want each of you to know we have been working tirelessly to educate and celebrate our students, especially the Class of 2020,” Gundersen said. “Please know that with each circumstance and each decision, the well-being of students is first and foremost on everyone’s mind.”