After considering feedback from the community, the Wright City R-II School District has decided to move its Class of 2020 commencement ceremony to Friday, July 10 at 7 p.m. at the high school football field.

The graduation was originally scheduled to be held next Friday, May 22. With ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19 and the remainder of the school year canceled, officials decided last week to postpone the event to a later date.

“We had a board meeting and multiple options were discussed,” said High School Principal Matt Brooks. “We weighed a lot of different variables. It’s such a fluid situation, so we know there’s a lot that could still change between now and then.”

The district conducted a survey of students and parents, with 78 percent of respondents indicating they preferred to push the ceremony to July.

Brooks said R-II went with an earlier weekend in the month to allow for ample makeup dates. Normally, in the case of inclement weather, graduation would be moved indoors to the gymnasium. Given the current social distancing measures, that doesn’t appear to be an option. As of now, the rain makeup day would be the following day, July 11.

“If we were to have rain both of those days, we’ve got to potentially have another weekend or two available,” said Brooks.

He said the exact details and structure of the graduation will be decided based upon recommendations from the state as of July 1. This could also impact many of the traditional components of the ceremony, which typically include congratulatory handshakes and hugs.

“We’re really counting on the expanse of our stadium to help us with creating space and practicing social distancing,” said Brooks. “We won’t really know a lot of the details until July 1. Safety has got to be paramount, so that will make for some interesting dynamics to work through.”

Prior to graduation, the district has several events planned to celebrate the seniors, including a parade at 6:30 p.m. on May 22 — the original commencement date. Seniors will travel a route beginning from the middle school along the North Service Road, then going along Wildcat Drive in front of West Elementary, before turning onto Westwoods Road and traveling past the high school.

The district is also planning to host a senior showcase on May 18, along with other days for senior awards and scholarships.