On Wednesday, March 14, students from across the country—and around the globe-- will participate in what is being called a “National School Walkout to End Gun Violence.” It is intended as an expression of solidarity with the students from Parkland, Florida, the site of the nation’s most recent school shooting.
The Women's March Youth Empower Group is organizing the Walkout at 10 a.m. across every US time zone, for exactly 17 minutes in memory of the 17 young victims of the Florida massacre.
To their credit, students from Bayfront are keenly aware of the debate that is currently raging in every community about school safety, and many of our students intend to participate in the Walkout.
It is our collective position as a staff, that students are entitled to express their point of view, to dissent, and to protest. After all, student protest was invaluable during the Civil Rights Movement and the Viet Nam War. In fact, the US Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” Students from Bayfront who choose to participate in the Walkout are therefore exercising a fundamental Constitutional right and will not face consequences of any kind for participating- or for not participating in the event.
Bayfront student-leaders are currently organizing and developing their plan. As a staff, we stand as allies for our students and will ensure their safety during the actual Walkout. We will also provide supervision and support for students who remain in their classrooms.
I encourage all staff and all parents to recognize this event as a “teachable moment”. Students should understand the gun debate from multiple points of view. They should also consider all the different ways that they can make their voices heard: for example, by participating in peaceful demonstrations or rallies, writing to their Congressman (Juan Vargas), expressing their opinions through art, music or photography, or if they’re old enough… by registering to vote!
In the meantime, we celebrate our students for participating in democracy.
The Women's March Youth Empower Group is organizing the Walkout at 10 a.m. across every US time zone, for exactly 17 minutes in memory of the 17 young victims of the Florida massacre.
To their credit, students from Bayfront are keenly aware of the debate that is currently raging in every community about school safety, and many of our students intend to participate in the Walkout.
It is our collective position as a staff, that students are entitled to express their point of view, to dissent, and to protest. After all, student protest was invaluable during the Civil Rights Movement and the Viet Nam War. In fact, the US Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” Students from Bayfront who choose to participate in the Walkout are therefore exercising a fundamental Constitutional right and will not face consequences of any kind for participating- or for not participating in the event.
Bayfront student-leaders are currently organizing and developing their plan. As a staff, we stand as allies for our students and will ensure their safety during the actual Walkout. We will also provide supervision and support for students who remain in their classrooms.
I encourage all staff and all parents to recognize this event as a “teachable moment”. Students should understand the gun debate from multiple points of view. They should also consider all the different ways that they can make their voices heard: for example, by participating in peaceful demonstrations or rallies, writing to their Congressman (Juan Vargas), expressing their opinions through art, music or photography, or if they’re old enough… by registering to vote!
In the meantime, we celebrate our students for participating in democracy.