Manatee schools prepare for COVID graduations. One school’s students ready to protest

Manatee High School seniors are once again fighting the plans for their pandemic graduation. Meanwhile, the details of other local graduations are taking shape.

Last year, when graduation was scheduled at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, parents, students and alumni made calls, sent emails and amassed 2,500 signatures, successfully having the Manatee High ceremony moved to its traditional venue at Hawkins Stadium.

District-wide graduations were later moved from the convention center to LECOM Park, which allowed for fresh air and social distancing, but Manatee High was able to remain at the football field on campus.

The school district has confirmed that Manatee High’s 2021 ceremony will again take place at Hawkins Stadium with a two-guest limit for each graduate, sparking a petition for more tickets.

The current dates for public high school graduations are subject to approval by the school board, which meets on March 9, according to a statement from district spokesman Mike Barber.

As of this week, the recommended schedules were:

• Southeast High School, 8 a.m. on June 1, LECOM Park.

• Braden River High School, 8 a.m. on June 2, LECOM Park.

• Lakewood Ranch High School, 8 a.m. on June 3, LECOM Park.

• Bayshore High School, 8 a.m. on June 4, LECOM Park.

• Palmetto High School, 8 a.m. on June 5, LECOM Park.

• Manatee High School, 8 p.m. on June 3, Hawkins Stadium.

In an emailed statement, Barber said Manatee High could hold its ceremony at Hawkins Stadium and choose any date between June 1 to 5.

While it appears Manatee High will enjoy a ceremony at its beloved football field, students were unhappy with the limited tickets available to families, along with the sudden change in scheduling. The ceremony was originally planned for May 22, students said.

An online petition, created by high school senior Chloe Forestier, called on Manatee High to offer students four guest tickets instead of two. That petition hit 1,500 signatures on Tuesday afternoon, about 24 hours after it launched.

And according to images posted on Snapchat, a social media application, some students planned to hold a demonstration this week.

“We’re going on strike!” one image read. “This is for us having no prom, no homecoming, limited tickets and uncertain dates!”

“Seniors wear red, white, blue,” another states. “Let’s get our graduation day back and more tickets.”

Forestier, 17, started the petition after Manatee High shared updated graduation plans on Monday, sparking a flood of online comments from unhappy students.

Students question safety concerns

Some said their families planned around the original date. Other students questioned whether the safety concerns were genuine, pointing to questionable events that took place over the last school year.

“Early in the year, football games didn’t have many limitations on who could come,” Forestier said. “They didn’t really enforce social distancing. And they recently took our senior panoramic, which is a picture of all the seniors. About 400 people, I would say. They made us squeeze together and take off our masks at one point.”

Responding to the school’s announcement on Monday, several students echoed Forestier’s comments in an online discussion:

“COVID didn’t exist when we were all squeezed together on the bleachers taking pictures with our masks off,” one person wrote.

“We were at the bleachers for more than 15 (minutes),” another followed. “Did any of us wash our hands or wear our masks at the end? Did you guys review your calendar to check out if we were available on June 3? We literally get nothing this year and we’re still getting nothing? Nice.”

In his response on Tuesday afternoon, Barber said local schools delayed the ceremonies to align with the state’s extended testing window, allowing more students to earn the needed credits and attend graduation.

Further, he said, the earliest dates available at LECOM Park were between June 1 to 5. Manatee High can choose to hold its ceremony at any point during that time frame.

Barber also confirmed that every high school would allow two guests per graduate, an attempt to maintain social distancing and fairness.

“Although the size of each graduating class can vary from school to school, which could impact the seating capacity for different schools, the district decided the most equitable solution for each school was to treat each graduate the same,” his email reads.

Much like last year, the district plans to require masks and social distancing at each ceremony. Hand sanitizer will also be available.

To submit a comment before the March 9 school board meeting, which includes the recommended graduation details for all high schools, send an email to public_comment@manateeschools.net.

Board meetings are broadcast live on Spectrum Channel 646 and Frontier Channel Channel 39, along with the Manatee Schools Television Website, mstv.us.

This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 4:17 PM.