Let's dance: Manchester high schools plan for in-person proms
Apr. 14—Yielding to pressure from parents and students, Manchester school Superintendent John Goldhardt has agreed to let the city's four public high schools hold outdoor proms.
"Although I am personally opposed to it, we will let our schools have their proms," Goldhardt wrote in a March 26 email to the Manchester Board of School Committee.
That position was a U-turn from an email he sent the board earlier that day.
"We are bringing more students into our buildings for in person learning, however we are not bringing students together for prom and dance," Goldhardt wrote in the first email. "While I wish this was possible, it is quite frankly a dangerous and irresponsible position. The pandemic is not over, and proms will put students and adults in very close contact with one another."
Asked by Ward 9's Arthur Beaudry during Monday's school board meeting why he changed his mind, Goldhardt said he received information that city health officials were "OK with it."
Goldhardt said the proms would be held outside in late May or June and follow social distancing and cleaning protocols in place across the district.
"It is a very fine line," Goldhardt said. "I'm not a health expert, and I know there are a lot of people in the community that really want this to happen.
"When word got out, I had several hundred emails telling me what they thought of me and about my horrible decision, and that people had already purchased prom dresses — which was a surprise to me because we had never approved any type of prom or told schools to start planning for proms but some had."
That comment angered Beaudry.
"You are the leader of this district, and it frustrates me when I hear we have principals going out telling their students that there's gonna be a prom without going through you," Beaudry said.
City health director Anna Thomas said she never weighed in for or against holding proms.
"My last email said we need to know what a plan would look like and I'm not for or against it until I have a plan to react to, and we have to monitor what's happening in the community at all times," Thomas said. "I've never had a position on this, because I've not been involved with the plans, I've not even seen what's being proposed."
Mayor Joyce Craig said her office received "an awful lot" of calls when word spread of Goldhardt's email canceling proms.
Craig said students working on planning proms said they would abide by whatever rules the district put forward, because "they feel so strongly that they want to have this because so much has been taken away from them."
A motion that would have required any student hoping to attend a prom to present a negative COVID-19 test two days before the event had its second withdrawn and was never voted on.
A motion to require school administrators to present prom plans to the board for final approval failed on an 11-2 vote, with only Beaudry and Bill Shea voting in favor. Kelly Thomas was absent.
School district spokesman Andrew Toland and Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Gillis said high school proms will take place following state COVID-19 safety protocols for weddings and catered events, because no specific guidance has been issued for proms.
Concord High School recently announced plans to host an in-person prom on-site this year, with dining areas set up across the third floor of two wings of the high school and dancing in three designated areas.
Campbell High School in Litchfield also is planning to hold an in-person prom on school grounds.
