Some proms are back, with masks, testing and distancing

BOSTON (AP) — A minor league baseball stadium. A negative coronavirus test and absolutely no slow dancing.

Those are just a few of the unusual requirements for a high school prom happening in Manchester, New Hampshire, later this month, one of many school districts across the country struggling to navigate holding the formal dance in the second year of the pandemic.

Students only found out early this month that the proposal to hold prom May 28 at the New Hampshire Fisher Cats stadium had been approved, after some school board members expressed reservations the event could spread the coronavirus. Along with socially-distanced dancing, students are also being encouraged to get vaccinated before the dance.

“It would be awesome if we could all have a prom and be together. I mean I haven’t seen some of my classmates in over a year,” said Allison Hermann, a senior who is among the Central High School students who helped plan the prom.

“This is one of the only times that we all get to share together. Just being a high school senior is very symbolic so the fact we haven’t gotten the chance to be together yet is really sad,” she added.

School districts across the country are weighing whether they can safely hold an event that many seniors consider a capstone to their high school careers.

Schools from Miami to Charlotte to El Paso have already cancelled prom over safety concerns. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has described proms as a high-risk activity due to the singing and dancing and has recommended that districts scrap proms and come up with alternative celebrations for seniors.

Some students and parents are forging ahead to organize their own celebrations if the school has opted not to. Those schools going ahead — albeit with a laundry...