Two school districts in East Tennessee have announced they will have in-person graduation ceremonies as COVID-19 restrictions are beginning to lift around the state.

Tennessee's stay-at-home order expires on April 30, although Gov. Bill Lee has recommended all schools in the state stay closed through the end of the school year and all public schools are complying. Social distancing guidelines will still be in place as the state begins to reopen, Lee said Monday.

Anderson and Hamblen County schools will hold ceremonies this summer. Anderson County High School will have its graduation June 19 and Clinton High School will have its graduation June 26.

Anderson County will hold its ceremonies "unless the state or federal government restricts large group activities," with the added note that the number of guests may be limited, according to its website. If restrictions on large group gatherings continue, the ceremonies will be held virtually.

Hamblen County graduations will be held on July 23 and 24 at the high school football stadium to allow for social distancing.

"This process is not an easy one to implement because it requires a significant amount of planning," Hamblen County Superintendent Jeff Perry said in a statement. "In order to increase the likelihood we can actually bring several people together in one location, we have moved the graduation date as late into the summer as possible without conflicting with most college start dates."

What is Knox County doing?

Knox County Schools has not announced plans for an in-person graduation ceremonies. In an interview with Knox News last week, Superintendent Bob Thomas said officials were looking at different ways to honor graduating seniors.

"We’re desperately thinking of ways we can honor our seniors this year and provide them some type of closure for this year," Thomas said. "We’ve not landed on what that looks like just yet, but we’re still maintaining communication with our venue, to see if that might still be a possibility ... We're still exploring ways that we can hopefully make graduation work."

Knox County will begin reopening in phases, although social distancing and masks will still be recommended, said Dr. Martha Buchanan, director of the Knox County Health Department, on Tuesday. The county's plan "is not a return to pre-pandemic levels of activity and physical closeness," Buchanan said.

Thomas said he has been impressed with how students responded to the long-term closure. Knox County has been out of school since March 13, the day before spring break.

"All of us are deeply saddened that our seniors don't get the kind of closure that they worked so long and so hard for," Thomas said. "We know how much, with graduation ceremonies, parents and grandparents and relatives, how important that is."