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For seniors in high school, May is usually a pretty special time of the year.

Students are typically looking forward to walking across the stage, receiving a handshake from their principal or superintendent and then attempt to figure out what they are going to do with the rest of their lives.

This year, things are going to look a little bit different in Troup County. Students will still graduate in May — they just may not be walking across a stage until July, if at all. The Troup County School System has announced it will host virtual graduations for students in June. Callaway, LaGrange and Troup High Schools will all host virtual commencements on June 15 and will stage them in two-hour increments.

The school system announced it would try to have in-person ceremonies in July, if possible. The graduations are tentatively scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on July 23, 24 and 25. The morning time is to attempt to beat the Georgia heat in the middle of the summer.

We want to hold out hope the health conditions of the region are favorable enough to have live graduations, but we also don’t want to force a ceremony to happen.

We think the school system is doing the right thing by making the decision now to go virtual and waiting to see if an in-person commencement can happen. If it can, great. If it can’t, the graduating seniors still get to have some sort of moment. The graduations will be streamed on the school district’s Facebook page so relatives will still get to join in if they want.

It’s not perfect, but it’s better than potentially endangering hundreds of parents, family members and students. And, it’s better than not acting at all.