The New York State School Boards Association says it’s aware of at least three upcoming student walkouts in protest against the high school shootings in Florida. The association says each is intended to protest gun violence, but it says districts planning to let students participate in such an event might want to think again before they appear to be endorsing a political viewpoint.
Brighton is one district in which the superintendent is meeting with student protest leaders this week and appears sympathetic to students exercising their right to free speech. The NYSBA says districts shouldn’t appear to favor either side in a dispute which might set a precedent for future student protests. And it says districts should not support students who walk out of their classrooms
The protest organizers are calling for students to walk out of their classrooms at 10:00 a.m. on March 14 for 17 minutes, one for each victim of the Stoneman Douglas High School shootings.