Parents and year 12 students in St George and Sutherland Shire are among those who have signed a petition calling on the state government to reverse a ban on school formals and graduation ceremonies.
Dozens of parents have taken to social media over the past week to condemn the government's updated COVID Safe guidelines for NSW schools, which came into effect last Wednesday.
The majority of commenters on the Leader Facebook page opposed the ban on school formals, dances, graduations and other social events under the new guidelines for term 3.
Under the guidelines, parents would not be allowed to attend year 12 graduation ceremonies, which traditionally occur in term 3 before students break for study leave ahead of HSC exams.
Schools could delay graduation ceremonies until later in the year, although there was no guarantee the ban would be lifted by then.
A Change.org petition for NSW year 12 students to hold graduation assemblies and formals had more than 48,000 signatures by Monday morning.
Sharryn Amesbury, of Burraneer, is among those who signed the petition.
"We need to adopt common sense here," said Mrs Amesbury, who has a son in year 12 at a local high school.
"Our kids are so disappointed.
"Everything that leads up to the end of their schooling has been squashed. All the plans have now been cancelled."
Debbie Terrantroy, who started the petition, said it seemed "unreasonable for schools to not allow parents to attend their child's graduation assemblies" or for them to attend a formal.
"As per current regulations in NSW, shopping centres, sporting matches, pubs and clubs are open. And yet parents and children are being denied to attend such an important event? Year 12 students and their parents deserve better," she said.
She questioned the timing of the announcement during HSC trial exams and asked why schools were not given the option of holding multiple staged graduation assemblies to "allow for social distancing measures so parents can attend and be part of this milestone in their children's lives".
"As per current regulations in NSW, venues such as clubs can have 300 seated people. Corporate events can have 150 people attending. Why are schools not being given the option of holding multiple formals so as to adhere with current guidelines for venues such as clubs?"
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said last week there was a possibility graduation ceremonies could go ahead at the end of the year.
"I would actually like to give some hope to those year 12 students," Dr Chant said. "This is the setting for term 3.
"I have got a degree of optimism that if we all work together we can suppress this [outbreak].
"And that hopefully by term 4 the picture across Australia will be a different one."
Ms Berejiklian said the steps had been taken to reduce the chances of a school outbreak during the lead up to HSC exams, and NSW Health would revisit the guidelines later.
"Once the HSC is finished, there will be an opportunity for [NSW] Health to consider schools having those ceremonies once those exams are over," she said.
The updated COVID Safe guidelines follow a spate of COVID-19 infections and clusters at schools in recent weeks. The largest, at Tangara School for Girls at Cherrybrook, has grown to 26, while six confirmed cases are linked to Our Lady of Mercy College at Parramatta.
One of the state's top schools, Sydney Girls High School, was non-operational for on-site learning last Monday due to a confirmed case of COVID-19, causing the cancellation of a planned trial HSC exam.
Details: To view the petition click here.