More than 100 Manatee High School students walk out to protest graduation plans

Instead of walking to their sixth-period classes on Wednesday afternoon, a large group of Manatee High School seniors gathered outside to protest the plans for their upcoming graduation.

Kelly Cruz, who currently attends online classes full time, stood outside of the school in Bradenton, holding a sign that read “Stand with seniors!” She cheered as approximately 100 classmates walked outside of the building and gathered at an enclosed area on the campus.

Another large group of students tried and failed to join the first group, as a school administrator blocked their path.

Cruz, 18, was among the students who were unhappy about a ticket limit at graduation. Each graduate will be allowed two guests, a measure to promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That meant Cruz would have to choose between her mother, father, aunt and uncle.

“My dad taught me math,” she said. “My mom taught me Spanish. My uncle taught me about history. My aunt was there for moral support. I’m going to be the first-ever girl in my family to graduate and I want them to see me succeed.”

Other students were unhappy with the recent schedule change. Originally planned for May 22, the ceremony is now expected to take place in early June, derailing plans that were already set in motion.

Manatee High senior Tori Towns said her family members already requested vacation time, booked hotels and bought plane tickets for the original graduation date.

“I just want people to understand that we’re not trying to be selfish and break COVID rules,” she said. “We just want our families to be there to watch our proudest moment in life.”

Towns, 18, said she was inspired by a former Manatee High student who launched a petition and helped to move graduation from the Bradenton Area Convention Center to the traditional venue at Hawkins Stadium last year.

Graduation will again take place at the beloved football field on Manatee High’s campus this year, while other local high schools are holding their ceremonies at LECOM Park.

Following in the footsteps of that Manatee High graduate, senior Chloe Forestier launched her own petition this week, calling on the district to provide four guest tickets per student. More than 1,900 people signed the petition by Wednesday afternoon.

“We got our homecoming taken away, our prom taken away,” 17-year-old Forestier said. “Basically, everything that seniors get. It’s really important to have our family there when we graduate because it’s such a big day, especially in this year where everything changed.”

The School Board of Manatee County is scheduled to review the graduation dates for all public high schools on Tuesday evening. Manatee High’s graduation is now slated for June 3 at 8 p.m., though the school can choose any day between June 1 to 5, according to district spokesman Mike Barber.

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Barber said the ticket limit was meant to promote social distancing and fairness during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Public schools have reported 335 positive cases in the current semester, while the entire county had 32,176 cases and 607 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The district also planned to hold most ceremonies at LECOM Park, an open-air venue that allows for further distancing between guests. Barber said the earliest available dates were in June.

“Because of the global pandemic resulting from COVID-19, we have been forced to make extremely difficult decisions regarding all facets of the operations of our schools and the education of our students,” he said in a prepared statement.

This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 4:14 PM.