Across the nation, state boards of education are working to determine how high school seniors, the class of 2020, will graduate — or not. The ceremonies with caps and gowns, “Pomp and Circumstance,” and teary-eyed parents are scratched.

There will be no community gatherings in the school gym, auditorium, football stadium, or city center. Along with proms and senior skip days, graduations will not happen. Thank you, seniors and parents, for forgoing these memorable and milestone moments for the common good. But the state boards still face a conundrum. Who will be awarded a high school diploma, and who won’t be?