I am the proud parent of Nichole Folbrecht, who is a 2020 graduate of Okeechobee High School. I am very heartbroken, devasted, depressed and saddened that parents are not allowed to attend our kids’ graduation this Saturday. But what upsets me the most is I am hearing that more and more kids WILL NOT attend their own graduation because their parents/loved ones can’t be there. This is unimaginable and needs to change. I believe all along with the health department need to reevaluate and allow parents/loved ones to be there. Even if it’s only two tickets. You all have a great plan set in place to keep the kids safe. We as parents can be included and should be included. The ag center holds 6,220 people on a normal day. They’re allowed to run at 25% capacity. With fewer than 400 seniors graduating, this allows room for each senior to have a couple of tickets each to have for their parents/loved ones they want to be there to watch them walk across the stage. Within days there will be the Florida high school rodeo finals hosted there. Many more people will be there for that. Universal is opening up, and they will not be able to control social distancing as easily there. Kids camps are opening up, along with other summer activities. Other schools are choosing traditional graduations now that our Florida governor has lifted restrictions. Please listen to the seniors’ and parents’ cries and reconsider. St. Lucie County, the county next to Okeechobee, will be allowed two tickets for parents to physically attend graduations.

We are very heartbroken, our eyes hurt from the tears of sadness, not from tears of joy. My family and hundreds of others believe our graduation needs to be reevaluated to allow the parents to attend.

We are grateful you all are having a graduation for our seniors. We appreciate you all, as I know this has not been an easy task. Yes, it is about our kids, but they didn’t do this alone. They had the support of their loved ones throughout their entire school career. They want their parents involved as well. Nichole is our first child to graduate and our only daughter. This is the only chance we will see our daughter walk across a high school stage to receive her diploma. I want to be there to cheer her on! If we still had tighter restrictions, I would be OK with watching her graduate online. But that is not the case! We can wear a mask and use hand sanitizer! With all the precautions set in place they will not get to congregate or socialize at all. So at least having their parents or loved ones there may make it a little easier on them. Please sit down, think and reevaluate. I know most, if not all, of you are parents. Would you want to see your child graduate in person, be able for them to hear you cheering them on and be there to take those once-in-a-lifetime pictures?

Jon and Kasey Folbrecht