For high school seniors, the coronavirus pandemic has derailed several of the traditional spring rites of passage, including proms, graduation ceremonies, senior class trips and post-prom weekends at the shore.

It’s not known yet when emergency declarations closing schools and banning large gatherings will be lifted, leaving uncertainty about whether some of these big moments will be rescheduled or canceled. It’s not even clear if students will return to the classroom this academic year.

For a South Jersey group of seniors, the ongoing health emergency could also end up costing them a lot of money.

A group of 27 seniors from Gateway Regional High School went in together to rent a house in Wildwood for prom weekend on May 8-11.

Even if the school doesn’t cancel prom, it now seems unlikely they will be allowed to gather that weekend because of ongoing bans on rentals in Cape May County and a parent says the group is having trouble getting its money back.

They’ve already put down about $5,000 toward a total tab of $7,300 to rent the house, said Kara Hickey, mother of one of the seniors. The rental business has resisted requests for a refund, instead offering a new date, according to Hickey.

“I think it’s completely unfair,” she said. “This was out of everyone’s control. It’s not like they don’t want to go.”

Efforts to contact the business by phone and email were unsuccessful on Monday.

Hickey’s son, Tyler, signed the rental agreement and collected money from his friends, she said. They booked the house in November and have been paying toward the weekend since December.

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The rental company has offered to book the group for a different weekend, but said refunds are not possible under the contract, according to Hickey. With dates for graduation, senior trip and other activities still up in the air, the group cannot simply book another date, she said.

A representative for the business is also telling her that a ban on rentals in the shore town only lasts until April 30 and that May should be fine, Hickey said.

Wildwood and some other shore towns banned short-term rentals for hotels, motels and private homes until April 30, but Cape May County then issued a blanket ban on these rentals with no date specified on when the order would be lifted.

“From what I understand, there is no end date to this,” Hickey said. “They don’t know when they are going to lift the ban.”

Bans and uncertainty over how long the health crisis could last have created turmoil in the shore rental industry.

To stave off similar problems in the future, some renters are now adding coronavirus clauses to their summer lease agreements, which would allow refunds if travel plans are scuttled by the pandemic.

Hickey’s son is disappointed about the entire situation.

“He doesn’t really talk about it,” she said. “He’s pretty upset. It’s very upsetting for all of us. They are a close-knit group of kids. It’s sad for all of the seniors. I can’t imagine.”

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.