Student walkout protests gun violence
Students in local schools are joining the national walkout today to protest gun violence and demand stronger laws to limit access to guns.
Students are walking out of class at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes in remembrance of the 17 victims of the massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., exactly one month ago.
The organizer of the event, Empower, the youth branch of the Women’s March, is urging Congress to ban assault weapons, require universal background checks before gun sales, and allow courts to disarm people who display violent behavior.
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand said “FCPS does not oppose, nor endorse, this call to action.” Noting that students have free speech rights, he said, “students have the right to participate as long as their activities do not disrupt the instructional day.”
Brabrand suggested principals “work with students to find peaceful and safe opportunities to facilitate the observance while minimizing disruption.” Students who go beyond the planned 17-minute observance or exhibit inappropriate behavior may be subject to discipline.
An online announcement posted by students at JEB Stuart High School calls for students to join the walkout “to protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.” It says, “Students and staff have the right to teach and learn in an environment free from the worry of being gunned down in their classrooms or on the way home from school.”
Stuart Principal Penny Gros adjusted the school schedule slightly to minimize the loss of instructional time. “We recognize the desire of some students to lend their voice to this important national conversation in this way,” Gros said. “We are working with student leaders to conduct an orderly and peaceful observation of these 17 minutes by those students who choose to do so.”
While the walkouts are designed for middle and high school students, some younger students have expressed interest in participating.
Camelot Elementary School Principal Aileen Flaherty informed the Camelot community that after questions about the walkout had been raised by some upper-grade students and parents, she “had a short discussion with students in grades 4-6 about the national walkout, as we recognize the desire of students to lend their voice to this important national conversation.”
Flaherty advised students in grades 4-6 to discuss the issue with their parents and told them they will not “be in trouble for choosing to participate.”
Legally, school administrators have the authority to discipline students for walking out of school, but only if they can demonstrate that the students’ conduct materially and substantially disrupted the educational program or interfered with other students’ rights.
8 responses to “Student walkout protests gun violence”
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As soon as one of these "activist" fourth graders gets hit by a car running to the 7-11 for a slurpee instead of being behind a desk??? Ok replace a 4th grader with an 11th grader and see if the responsibility of the county to hold our children during established class times can be legally shirked. You know the school will be sued for negligence etc etc…. Don't you remember that if you cut school you had DETENTION? aka a penalty to pay?
where and when did this 'stuff' get into the school handbook?
[[[……..can demonstrate that the students’ conduct materially and substantially disrupted the educational program or interfered with other students’ rights…..]]]
How can an administrator punish someone who walks out of school if their disappearance CANNOT interfere with another students program or rights?
Who is running this zoo……? We all pay 5K and up in real estate taxes(if you own) and the budget is going to spend 75% on schools, and the school budget is 2.? BILLION DOLLARS….oh and yes…. we are going to buy more BONDS (borrow money)…. this has got to chang. AND YES this is anonymous.
Oh, relax. It was 17 flipping minutes.
And it took less than 17 minutes to kill those students. Don't relax.
And that language about disrupting the school day? Tinker v. Des Moines, 1969 (US Supreme Court decision)
Yep it was 17 mins this time – perhaps you didn’t remember the first time – all day and the metro downtown. Fiesta!
This is how another school district does it correctly
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/378525-new-jersey-school-district-plans-on-punishing-students-who-participated
As the parent of two current (and one former) students in this system I am really pleased with how the schools and the district are handling this. My children tell me about lockdown drills where teachers and administrators go to the doors knocking and asking for someone to let them in because they don't want to get shot–and they aren't allowed to open the door. They are scared. They are angry and they want to feel like there is some way for them to be heard.
By supporting these peaceful protests FCPS is teaching our children that their voice counts. That civic engagement is important, and that they have the right to make their own decisions about whether to participate in these types of activities. I think that is as valuable educationally as the 17 minutes of class time they are missing (and how much class time do they miss for lock down drills?)
I understand that the groups walking out observed 17 minutes of silence in recognition of the 17 people killed in Parkland. The thought of middle school students being silent for 17 minutes tells me how much this means to them.
I agree; thanks for speaking up.