High school won’t allow e-learning students to attend prom

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    PLAINFIELD, Indiana (WISH) — Some parents of Plainfield High School students are upset by who the school says is allowed to go to the prom this year. In an email sent to parents on Thursday, the school outlined the time and place of this year’s junior and senior prom, including that only in-person students will be able to attend.

One senior parent at Plainfield High School who asked not to be named said she was surprised to receive the email saying her son would not be able to attend his senior prom. She says just a few weeks ago, there was talk of an informal prom that would be held on school grounds; now it is being held at an Embassy Suites hotel.

“There was never any talk that these kids wouldn’t be able to have the opportunity to participate in prom because they were e-learning,” said the parent.

Plainfield High School’s prom will be held in two sessions: a two-hour session for juniors and another two-hour session for seniors. According to the email sent to parents, each session will be limited to 300 people.

“This is really their last shot to go to prom in high school. They won’t ever have the opportunity to go to prom again,” said the parent.

All year, Plainfield High School has had a policy that students doing e-learning cannot participate in extracurricular activities.

Plainfield High School declined an interview but did provide a statement, saying, “It has been our practice all year that students who were not able to attend school in-person, due to COVID-19 concerns, would not participate in extracurricular activities. We believe that there are many non-academic activities that make the school experience complete, but we place academics and student health/safety at the forefront.”

“I understand the policy, and I get the policy to a large extent, but this is prom, this is a social event, it is not something that requires you to come into school every day in order to complete tasks,” said the parent.

This parent feels that each student’s situation is unique, and it should be the parents’ choice whether to send their student to prom, even if they chose to have them learn daily from home.

“To me, it is worth the risk because it is a one shot for them; they are never going to have a chance to go to their senior prom again,” said the parent.

All students, both in person and e-learners, can participate in the in-person graduation scheduled to take place outside at the high school’s football field.

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