Assemblyman Dan Stec speaks Nov. 1, 2019, at the Saranac Lake village offices. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

QUEENSBURY — New York Assemblyman Dan Stec is not satisfied with the state’s guidelines for graduation ceremonies, saying there are other, more traditional methods to hold graduations while still staying safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state guidance, announced Thursday, allows virtual or drive-in and drive-through ceremonies to be held. Most Tri-Lakes area districts are opting for the drive-in method.

Stec, a Republican from Queensbury who is running for a state Senate seat in the November election, said these options are “just not good enough for our students and school districts.”

“Instead of concluding students’ high school careers on a rushed, superficial note, (I am) encouraging state officials to allow socially distanced ceremonies akin to the Air Force graduation this past April and the impending graduation at West Point,” Stec said in a press release. “At these events, students walk in their processionals at an acceptable distance and sit 6 feet apart for a full ceremony.”

He pointed out that most graduations are scheduled while the state is in Phase 3 of its reopening plan, and said that means they should not settle for what the state dictates now.

“Our students have worked so hard and sacrificed so much. They deserve more than the graduation ceremonies currently recommended by the governor and Department of Health,” Stec said. “Virtual ceremonies, drive-thru diplomas and similar concepts are well-intentioned, but we can and ought to do better.

“I urge the state to reconsider and instead outline a plan for ceremonies comparable to the one conducted by the U.S. Air Force. These cadets were able to have well-organized, safe, full graduation ceremonies. Our students deserve the same, and I urge the governor’s office to reconsider its guidelines.”