Lakewood Ranch students change protest plans after district's warning about walkouts

Amid recent warnings from the district, students at Lakewood Ranch High School have decided to hold an after-school demonstration rather than a school walkout on Friday, the 19th anniversary of a mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.

The School District of Manatee County notified students and parents on April 13 that walkouts and protests of any kind would be considered a distraction to students' learning.

"We are entering the final stretch of the school year, a critical time academically due to state testing and preparations for graduation," the notice said. "Instructional time is crucial, so it is vital we protect that time by limiting disruptions."

A group of students met with Principal Craig Little on Thursday morning, said Gee Basilone, a 16-year-old sophomore.

"He worked with us and said we could maybe do something during lunch, but we decided to organize it after school so that we can gather an audience of people who genuinely want to be there," Basilone said in a text message.

Little declined to comment.

The after-school demonstration is part of National School Walkout, a protest against "violence in schools and the lack of change to stop that," according to the event's website.

Basilone said she hopes Friday's demonstration will be more successful than the last. On March 14, she joined other students in honoring the 17 people killed during a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. She also was one of the speakers at a March for Our Lives rally in Sarasota on March 24.

Many students, Basilone said, used the walkout as an opportunity to miss class.

"It was just really disappointing to watch everyone out there just talking and chatting with their friends while we were sitting there, trying to honor those kids and stand up for what we want in school," she said.

This story was originally published April 19, 2018 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch students change protest plans after district's warning about walkouts."