Students Walk Out
Wednesday, March 14 was the one-month anniversary of the school massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that claimed the lives of fourteen students and three teachers. In response–and inspired by the Parkland survivors who have come forward to demand improved gun safety laws–thousands of students nationwide chose to walk out of their schools on March 14.
What Happened?
Credit: Ingram Publishing
The walkouts lasted for seventeen minutes, one minute for each person who died in the shooting. In some districts, students stood in silence, in some cases in snow and frigid conditions. In other districts, they sang or chanted or listened to speakers or held up photographs of the Parkland victims. Others held hands or released balloons. While it’s difficult to know exactly how many students participated, it appears to be the largest student protest since the Vietnam War era of the late 1960s.
Technically, the protests were supposed to be in support of improving school safety, rather than anti-gun. But gun legislation definitely played an important role. The national organizers of the walkouts emphasized pressing Congress for increased gun safety measures such as tighter background checks on gun purchases, and bans on AR-15s (the weapon used in the Parkland shooting) and other assault-style rifles.
Backlash
While many school districts across the country chose not to penalize students for walking out, others did. In some districts, students were given unexcused absences or detentions for participating. In Los Gatos, California, a teacher gave a pop quiz at the time of the walkout and failed a student who chose to leave rather than complete it (the student’s parents are currently appealing her grade). And at Hilliard Davidson High School in Hilliard, Ohio, a student was disciplined because he didn’t walk out or wait in study hall, which was where the students who didn’t walk out were supposed to go.
At Pennridge High School in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, over 200 students were given detention for walking out. They served their detention a few days later by sitting in a circle on the floor with their arms linked. They wore the names of the Parkland victims on their shirts and placed flowers at the center of the circle.
What’s Next?
A national protest against gun violence will take place on Saturday, March 24 in Washington, D.C., with hundreds of smaller marches scheduled in cities around the country for the same day. And on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado, more walkouts, protests, and rallies are being planned.
Perhaps more importantly, the walkouts (as well as the vocal Parkland survivors) have drawn the eyes of the country to the role that young adults play in national politics. And with four million young adults turning 18 before the 2018 midterm elections, people are beginning to realize that students are quickly becoming a political force to be reckoned with.