— A rumored anti-gay demonstration planned for Monday at Warhill High School never occurred, Williamsburg-James City County School officials said Monday afternoon.

Warhill Principal Sharmaine Grove was notified by students and parents at the end of the day Friday of the possibility that some students might be planning a protest in response to last week's "Day of Silence" at the James City high school, Greg Davy, district spokesman. The "Day of Silence," which took place last Friday, is a national event where students, through a day-long vow of silence, bring attention to the bullying and harassment of gays and lesbians in schools.

Davy said Grove notified staff members through a memo that a silent protest might occur and stated that participating students would have the same rights as those that took part in the "Day of Silence."

Warhill staffers closely monitored students' arrival and travel to classes Monday, but "nothing out of the ordinary occurred," Davy said.

District policy requires organized rallies to be approved by W-JCC administration before anything takes place, Davy said.

"Student opinion is always welcome on W-JCC school campuses, as long as it does not infringe upon the rights of other students, is not inflammatory or illegal in any way, and does not disrupt normal class time," Davy said in a prepared statement. "Any language on clothing that would legally be considered hate speech, or advocates the use of substances illegal to minors, such as drugs and alcohol, are not allowed on school campuses."

Davy said the same guidelines are used when determining whether to approve an organized rally, in addition to what participants plan to do or say.

According to a district news release, Grove never received any formal request for a student rally. Davy said Grove "never supported the notion of an organized rally either orally or in writing."

News of the rumored protest prompted parents and community members to contact district and Warhill officials, Davy said.

"We received numerous calls today regarding a rumor that spread quickly throughout the community about an 'anti-gay rally' purported to have been planned to today at Warhill High School," Davy said. "This has definitely received a lot of attention."

James City resident Debra Hill sent a letter to Grove, the School Board and acting Superintendent Scott Burckbuchler expressing her disapproval of the alleged demonstration after hearing about it on Internet bulletin boards.

Hill said she impressed with how quickly the community reacted to news that such an event might occur.

"It's refreshing the level of response this has received," Hill said.