Students Stage Walkouts On 1-Month Anniversary Of Florida School Shooting
March 14, 2018 at 7:17 p.m.
By Mark [email protected]
Locally, Whitko High School was to have extra security measures in place for its planned walkout at 12:15 p.m. today.
A note was found Tuesday that indicated a shooting would occur today at the school. After police investigation, the student who allegedly wrote the note was found.
A post on the school district’s Facebook page says the student who wrote the note will face consequences with law enforcement and school authorities.
A statement from Whitko principal John Snyder sent to Times-Union reporting partner News Now Warsaw said the students will gather in the gym to stand with emergency responders in a show of unity. He says a short tribute to the victims of the shooting in Parkland, Florida will also take place, along with a moment of silence.
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“I believe, when it comes to making our community safer, students and staff should have a voice,” Snyder said.
The statement from Synder gave some additional details:
“Our purpose is to show solidarity with other students across the nation and to honor the victims of school violence, our unified message, as a school community, is this: we all want to be safer; we want meaningful dialogue that leads to real solutions, not political rhetoric. Please do something. Let’s make a difference.
“This will not be about gun control or anything that would divide us. This is simply about safety for all students and staff.
“This has been student led, and they have worked with me throughout the process. I am proud of our student leadership on this.”
Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent David Hoffert told News Now Warsaw on Tuesday he is unaware of any students planning to participate in a walk out at Warsaw Community High School.
Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation Superintendent Brett Boggs says the administrative team discussed a potential walkout, and want to make sure the day does not turn into any type of negative confrontational situation.
Boggs says Tippecanoe Valley Middle School principal Scott Backus talked to student leaders to discuss an alternative to a walkout, like a memorial or advocacy activity, but a decision had not been made on what students would like to do, if anything.
Tippecanoe Valley High School principal Chad Cripe met with student leaders about a potential walkout as well. As of Tuesday, there was no plan by the students to participate, but if they decide to do so, they will be allowed to go to the main gym for approximately 15 minutes with no penalty.
Wawasee High School principal Kim Nguyen said at the corporation’s school board meeting Tuesday night that rather than have a walkout today, students are planning an event for the afternoon of April 20 in the gym. That’s the date for a second round of rallies nationally.
Students are organizing themselves to have activities, including a Power Point presentation, and an opportunity to talk with others about the situation. “We’re glad the students want to have thier voices heard, and they’re choosing to do it in a constructive manner,” Nguyen said.
More than 3,000 walkouts were planned across the U.S. and around the world, organizers said. Students were urged to leave class at 10 a.m. local time for 17 minutes — one minute for each victim in the Feb. 14 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Thousands of students gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, holding colorful signs and cheering in support of gun control. The students chanted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho. The NRA has got to go!" and "What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now!"
President Donald Trump was traveling in Los Angeles at the time.
Stoneman Douglas High senior David Hogg livestreamed the walkout at the tragedy-stricken school in Parkland, Florida, on his YouTube channel. Walking amid a mass of people making their way onto the football field, he criticized politicians for not taking more action to protect students.
He said the students could not be expected to remain in class when there was work to do to prevent gun violence.
"Every one of these individuals could have died that day. I could have died that day," he said.
From Florida to New York, students poured out of their schools, marching through the streets or gathering on campus to demonstrate.
Some schools applauded students for taking a stand or at least tolerated the walkouts, while others threatened discipline.
The coordinated walkout was organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women's March, which brought thousands to Washington last year.
Although the group wanted students to shape protests on their own, it also offered them a list of demands for lawmakers, including a ban on assault weapons and mandatory background checks for all gun sales.
"Our elected officials must do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to this violence," the organization said on its website.
Other protests planned in coming weeks include the March for Our Lives rally for school safety, which organizers say is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the nation's capital on March 24. Another round of school walkouts is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High shooting in Colorado.
Some students in Massachusetts said that after Wednesday's protest, they planned to rally outside the Springfield headquarters of the gun maker Smith & Wesson.
The walkouts drew support from companies including media conglomerate Viacom, which planned to pause programming on MTV, BET and all its other networks for 17 minutes during the walkouts.
Districts in Sayreville, New Jersey, and Maryland's Harford County drew criticism this week when they said students could face punishment for leaving class.
In suburban Atlanta, one of Georgia's largest school systems announced that students who participated might face unspecified consequences. Some vowed to walk out anyway.
"Change never happens without backlash," said Kara Litwin, a senior at Pope High School in Cobb County.
The possibility of being suspended "is overwhelming, and I understand that it's scary for a lot of students," said Lian Kleinman, a junior at Pope High. "For me personally, this is something I believe in. This is something I will go to the ends of the Earth for."
Other schools sought a middle ground, offering "teach-ins" or group discussions on gun violence.
Meanwhile, free speech advocates geared up for a battle. The American Civil Liberties Union issued advice for students who walk out, saying schools can't legally punish them more harshly because of the political nature of their message. In Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas, some lawyers said they would provide free legal help to students who are punished.
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Locally, Whitko High School was to have extra security measures in place for its planned walkout at 12:15 p.m. today.
A note was found Tuesday that indicated a shooting would occur today at the school. After police investigation, the student who allegedly wrote the note was found.
A post on the school district’s Facebook page says the student who wrote the note will face consequences with law enforcement and school authorities.
A statement from Whitko principal John Snyder sent to Times-Union reporting partner News Now Warsaw said the students will gather in the gym to stand with emergency responders in a show of unity. He says a short tribute to the victims of the shooting in Parkland, Florida will also take place, along with a moment of silence.
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“I believe, when it comes to making our community safer, students and staff should have a voice,” Snyder said.
The statement from Synder gave some additional details:
“Our purpose is to show solidarity with other students across the nation and to honor the victims of school violence, our unified message, as a school community, is this: we all want to be safer; we want meaningful dialogue that leads to real solutions, not political rhetoric. Please do something. Let’s make a difference.
“This will not be about gun control or anything that would divide us. This is simply about safety for all students and staff.
“This has been student led, and they have worked with me throughout the process. I am proud of our student leadership on this.”
Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent David Hoffert told News Now Warsaw on Tuesday he is unaware of any students planning to participate in a walk out at Warsaw Community High School.
Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation Superintendent Brett Boggs says the administrative team discussed a potential walkout, and want to make sure the day does not turn into any type of negative confrontational situation.
Boggs says Tippecanoe Valley Middle School principal Scott Backus talked to student leaders to discuss an alternative to a walkout, like a memorial or advocacy activity, but a decision had not been made on what students would like to do, if anything.
Tippecanoe Valley High School principal Chad Cripe met with student leaders about a potential walkout as well. As of Tuesday, there was no plan by the students to participate, but if they decide to do so, they will be allowed to go to the main gym for approximately 15 minutes with no penalty.
Wawasee High School principal Kim Nguyen said at the corporation’s school board meeting Tuesday night that rather than have a walkout today, students are planning an event for the afternoon of April 20 in the gym. That’s the date for a second round of rallies nationally.
Students are organizing themselves to have activities, including a Power Point presentation, and an opportunity to talk with others about the situation. “We’re glad the students want to have thier voices heard, and they’re choosing to do it in a constructive manner,” Nguyen said.
More than 3,000 walkouts were planned across the U.S. and around the world, organizers said. Students were urged to leave class at 10 a.m. local time for 17 minutes — one minute for each victim in the Feb. 14 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Thousands of students gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, holding colorful signs and cheering in support of gun control. The students chanted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho. The NRA has got to go!" and "What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now!"
President Donald Trump was traveling in Los Angeles at the time.
Stoneman Douglas High senior David Hogg livestreamed the walkout at the tragedy-stricken school in Parkland, Florida, on his YouTube channel. Walking amid a mass of people making their way onto the football field, he criticized politicians for not taking more action to protect students.
He said the students could not be expected to remain in class when there was work to do to prevent gun violence.
"Every one of these individuals could have died that day. I could have died that day," he said.
From Florida to New York, students poured out of their schools, marching through the streets or gathering on campus to demonstrate.
Some schools applauded students for taking a stand or at least tolerated the walkouts, while others threatened discipline.
The coordinated walkout was organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women's March, which brought thousands to Washington last year.
Although the group wanted students to shape protests on their own, it also offered them a list of demands for lawmakers, including a ban on assault weapons and mandatory background checks for all gun sales.
"Our elected officials must do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to this violence," the organization said on its website.
Other protests planned in coming weeks include the March for Our Lives rally for school safety, which organizers say is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the nation's capital on March 24. Another round of school walkouts is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High shooting in Colorado.
Some students in Massachusetts said that after Wednesday's protest, they planned to rally outside the Springfield headquarters of the gun maker Smith & Wesson.
The walkouts drew support from companies including media conglomerate Viacom, which planned to pause programming on MTV, BET and all its other networks for 17 minutes during the walkouts.
Districts in Sayreville, New Jersey, and Maryland's Harford County drew criticism this week when they said students could face punishment for leaving class.
In suburban Atlanta, one of Georgia's largest school systems announced that students who participated might face unspecified consequences. Some vowed to walk out anyway.
"Change never happens without backlash," said Kara Litwin, a senior at Pope High School in Cobb County.
The possibility of being suspended "is overwhelming, and I understand that it's scary for a lot of students," said Lian Kleinman, a junior at Pope High. "For me personally, this is something I believe in. This is something I will go to the ends of the Earth for."
Other schools sought a middle ground, offering "teach-ins" or group discussions on gun violence.
Meanwhile, free speech advocates geared up for a battle. The American Civil Liberties Union issued advice for students who walk out, saying schools can't legally punish them more harshly because of the political nature of their message. In Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas, some lawyers said they would provide free legal help to students who are punished.
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