Mar 6, 2018 5 min read

In a burst of student activism perhaps not seen since the 1960s, high school students are planning walkouts and protests around the country in the days and weeks ahead to vent their frustration about gun violence and the country’s laws when it comes to firearms.

Administrators at some schools in the region say they will work with students who want to express their views, as long as they coordinate protests with them and keep the protests orderly.

Edward Zelich, superintendent of Charleroi Area School District, said his district would support students who participate in the National School Walkout. At 10 a.m. March 14, students around the country, along with sympathetic teachers and administrators, are planning to leave their classrooms for 17 minutes to pay tribute to the 17 students and teachers killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The National School Walkout will also call on Congress to “pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets, and in our homes and places of worship.”

According to Zelich, “We embrace that opportunity for our students.” He said he and other administrators were looking at “creating avenues for them to participate.”

Zelich also said students were being encouraged to write letters to state legislators to voice their concerns.

Students at Bentworth High School plan to hold an assembly March 14 to honor those who were killed in Florida. In the assembly, the names of each victim in the Feb. 14 shooting will be read by a Bentworth counterpart. For example, the name of a freshman who was killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School will be read by a Bentworth freshman, who will stand up and say the name. Once the 17 names have been read, a moment of silence is planned while the students and teachers who said the names remain standing.

Bentworth Superintendent Scott Martin said he would be meeting with students from the district’s middle school this week to see if they would like to have any events on March 14. He said the high school’s students “really did not want to take a political stand,” and district officials wanted any assemblies to be educational and safe.

“I could not be more proud of the maturity they displayed,” Martin said.

The National School Walkout is being planned by the organizers of last year’s Women’s March, which took place in Washington, D.C., the day after the inauguration of President Trump. Similar marches happened in other cities. Walkouts also are being organized for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the mass shooting at Columbine High School that left 12 students and one teacher dead.

James Walsh, superintendent of Burgettstown Area School District, explained that “to date, our students have not indicated a desire to participate” in any protests, and if they did, they would have to give a heads-up to administrators.

Some school districts around the country have said that they would punish students. For instance, CNN has reported that the Needville Independent School District, near Houston, Texas, has warned students that they would be suspended if they participated in protests or walkouts during school hours. The superintendent in that district, Curtis Rhodes, stated on the district’s Facebook page that the district would discipline students “no matter if it is one, 50 or 500 students involved.” He further said that three-day suspensions would not be alleviated by notes from parents.

Carmichaels Area School District Superintendent John Menhart said the district will not punish students if they walk out March 14. However, Menhart said he would not support any walkouts that follow, and it’s not something that can be allowed to become a disruption.

In Peters Township, administrators are meeting with students to see if they want to participate in walkouts or protests, according to spokeswoman Shelley Belcher.

“If this is something they wish to do, they can do so in a safe and constructive manner,” she said. “It’s something we would want to work with them on.”

Some students across the country who want to participate in protests and walkouts have been concerned that any disciplinary action that is taken against them would be a black mark on their academic records and hinder their acceptance into colleges and universities, particularly highly competitive, selective ones. In response, officials at a growing list of schools have been announcing that they will not hold it against students who participate in marches and protests.

Last week, Washington & Jefferson College in Washington released a statement emphasizing that it “encourages a culture of respect that includes civil discourse and informed discussion. We value students who engage in peaceful, productive action on topics important to them. Admission decisions at W&J will not be influenced by a student’s decision to add their voice to debates or lawful protests.”

Staff writer Trista Thurston contributed to this story.