School Districts Weigh In On 2021 Proms And The News Isn't Good

If we've learned anything about the COVID-19 pandemic it's that there are things that people will do absolutely anything to make happen. At the height of the pandemic we saw people having family get togethers for holidays and birthdays even though there was a huge risk of transmitting the disease because of the lack of social distancing and mask wearing. Schools were shut down and went to virtual learning to keep students safe but throughout the entire first year of the pandemic parents were agitating to get their kids back in classrooms in schools.

As we begin our second year of pandemic regulations and restrictions school districts are faced with another school year's end and what to do about traditional end-of-year activities. Will there be in-person graduation or will it be like 2020 and be observed in school parking lots with students driving through a line to get their diplomas? Will there be senior trips? What about prom? Well, we have the answer from three local school districts.

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The El Paso, Socorro, and Ysleta school districts spoke with a local news station about prom and broke some kids hearts. EPISD and SISD officials say that there is no way that high schools in their districts will be allowed to have prom. Dr. Xavier De La Torre, the superintendent of Ysleta school district, says that students in his district could be allowed to have a prom but with certain specifications. De La Torre said that YISD is "open to any and all proposals but we will not deviate from what keeps kids safe."

Seriously, is this really that important? I mean, I understand that prom is a big deal. I went to mine but I wasn't in school during a global pandemic. Yes, it's a tough break to not be able to have a normal high school year and miss out on all the important milestones, but it's also a tough break to end up gasping for breath after catching a dread disease. I think not having a prom is a life lesson. Life isn't fair. There are no guarantees that something you want to happen will happen. It's not going to break you. You will go on and the sun will come up tomorrow. Parents need to concentrate on keeping their kids safe and not on mijo or mija missing out on their prom.