Minico High backs down from defiant graduation. It hasn’t said what will replace it.

After announcing it would hold an in-person graduation ceremony, Minico High School is changing its plans after additional COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the area, the (Twin Falls) Times-News reported.

Minidoka County School District officials said Thursday that they are working on an alternate Minico High School graduation plan that will still take place May 21 at the school campus.

Minidoka County had one new case announced Tuesday and another on Wednesday, bringing the total to 10 confirmed cases in the county and three probable cases, according to the South Central Public Health District. Ten of those 13 cases are believed to have recovered.

The health district announced Friday morning that Minidoka County has community spread, adding residents should “assume the virus could be anywhere in the community and surrounding counties.”

A school district press release said the original plan was to hold a group graduation ceremony for the 190 graduates at the school along with their parents following strict social distancing guidelines, even though the original plan did not follow the governor’s guidelines that public gathering should be limited to less than 10 people.

“Having shared this rationale for our original plan for May 21, we recognize that recent news of new cases of COVID-19 in Minidoka County would not allow us to continue to move forward as planned,” the release said. “We are working on an alternate plan that will still take place on May 21 on the Minico High School campus.”

School officials have not released any other information and have not responded to questions about what the new graduation plans may be like.

This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 5:46 PM.