SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Some parents in Seminole County say they’re upset the school district has canceled prom and altered graduation ceremonies again this year.

When her son’s senior prom and graduation were disrupted by the pandemic last year, Seminole County parent Myra Rangel says she hoped the same wouldn’t be true for her 17-year-old daughter this year.

 “Very much all excited expecting to still be able to do normal graduation, and a normal form of a prom," Rangel said. 

With vaccine distribution still moving slowly — and cases in the county still rising — Michael Lawrence, a communications officer for Seminole County Public Schools, says the conditions are just not safe enough.

“That’s because we’re still at a place in the pandemic right now where those things just aren’t possible,” Lawrence said. 

Instead of being at Addition Arena at the University of Central Florida, graduation ceremonies will now be at individual high schools in small ceremonies staggered by alphabetical order.

And while prom won’t be allowed, schools will get to do a formal dinner or soiree where tables and chairs can be socially distanced.

“At the very least we want to have events and memories that, you know, that honor our seniors that they deserve because they earned it,” Lawrence said. 

Rangel is upset parents like her weren’t consulted on the decision.

She believes there are safe ways to be able to do a prom and traditional graduation.

“If they’re wearing double the masks, and they could do temperature checks at the door, there’s no reason the kids couldn’t have their prom,” Rangel said. 

Lawrence says they understand the events are not a perfect answer.

But because UCF still wasn’t sure if Addition Arena could be safely used, they wanted concrete plans that parents could prepare for.

“We’re just trying to have something we can be definitive with, that we can stay on that course and we’re not changing plans back and forth,” Lawrence said. 

But Rangel points to a Facebook group with around 500 members, parents who think graduation and prom can be done both traditionally and safely. 

"The Facebook group that we have, the comments I've been reading, the parents have amazing ideas," Rangel said. 

Lawrence says Grad bash at Universal studios is still on because they’re confident Universal has put in place safety measures that will protect students.