From San Francisco to Hawaii, students planned to walk out of school Wednesday to protest gun violence.
From Maine to Hawaii, students planned to walk out of school Wednesday to protest gun violence in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged in response to last month’s massacre of 17 people at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
In nearly 3,000 protests nationwide, students from the elementary to college level are taking up the call in a variety of ways. Some planned roadside rallies to honor shooting victims and protest violence. Others were to hold demonstrations in school gyms or on football fields. In Massachusetts and Georgia and Ohio, students said they’ll head to the statehouse to lobby for new gun regulations.
The coordinated walkouts were loosely organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women’s March, which brought thousands to Washington, D.C., last year. The group urged students to leave class at 10 a.m. local time for 17 minutes — one minute for each victim in the Florida shooting — and suggested demands for lawmakers, including an assault weapons ban 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 group said on its website.
But each community was urged to shape its own protests, and while parents and teachers in many districts worked together to organize age-appropriate activities, school administrators had mixed reactions. Some have applauded students for taking a stand, while others threatened discipline.
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 Pensacola, Florida, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas ordered students to hold an in-school assembly instead, telling them they could discuss voting and mental health issues, but not guns, and saying that political banners would not be allowed.
“You can’t make political statements, it can’t be a pro-gun or anti-gun assembly,” Thomas told the Pensacola News-Journal.
Free speech advocates geared up for battles.
The American Civil Liberties Union issued advice for students, 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 will provide free legal help to students who are punished. The ACLU of Georgia’s guidance letters to districts said “The United States Supreme Court has long held that students do not ‘shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate’.”
This nationwide action is one of several protests planned for coming weeks. The March for Our Lives rally for school safety is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the nation’s capital on March 24, its organizers said. And another round of school walkouts is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.
After the walkout Wednesday, some students in Massachusetts say they plan to rally outside the Springfield headquarters of Smith & Wesson, where students and religious leaders are expected to call on the gun maker to help reduce gun violence.
At Case Elementary School in Akron, Ohio, a group of fifth-graders organized a walkout with the help of teachers after seeing parallels in a video they watched about youth marches for civil rights in 1963. Case instructors said 150 or more students will line a sidewalk along a nearby road, carrying posters with the names of Parkland victims.
The walkouts have drawn support from companies including media conglomerate Viacom, which said it will pause programming on MTV, BET and all its other networks for 17 minutes during the walkouts, and allow students to temporarily take over MTV’s social media accounts.
In suburban Atlanta, one of Georgia’s largest school systems announced that students who participate might face unspecified consequences.
But some vowed to walk out anyway, understanding that accepting punishments is part of what can make civil disobedience powerful.
“Change never happens without backlash,” said Kara Litwin, a senior at Pope High School in the Cobb County School District.
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 and working to keep things safe. Officials at Boston Public Schools said they arranged a day of observance Wednesday with a variety of activities “to provide healthy and safe opportunities for students to express their views, feelings and concerns.” Students who don’t want to participate could bring a note from a parent to opt out.
Here is a list of Bay Area schools participating in the march:
- University Preparatory Academy Movement #ENOUGHMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMUniversity Preparatory Academy 2315 Canoas Garden Ave.San Jose, CA 95125GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Herman and Adventure School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMLeonard Herman Intermediate School 5955 Blossom Ave.San Jose, CA 95123GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Pioneer High School Walkout March 14, 2018 • 10:00 AM Pioneer High School1290 Blossom Hill Rd San Jose, CA 95118GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Santa Teresa High School and Community WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AM Santa Teresa High School 6150 Snell Ave San Jose, CA 95123 GET DETAILS & RSVP
- WGMS #enough Gun Control WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMWGMS2105 Cottle AveSAN Jose, CA 95125GET DETAILS & RSVP
- SJ State School Walkout #EnoughMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library150 E San Fernando StSan Jose, CA 95112GET DETAILS & RSVP
- KIPP San Jose Collegiate Community Demonstration #EnoughMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMKIPP San Jose Collegiate1790 Educational Park Dr.San Jose, CA 95133GETDETAILS & RSVP
- Raymond J Fisher Middle School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMFisher Middle School19195 Fisher Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95032Los Gatos, CA 95032GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Santa Clara University National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMMission Church500 El Camino RealSanta Clara, CA 95053GET DETAILS & RSVP
- ENOUGH: Santa Clara University National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMSanta Clara University500 El Camino RealSanta Clara, CA 95053GET DETAILS & RSVP
- walkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMrolling hills middle school1585 More AveLos Gatos , CA 95032GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough: Prospect High School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMProspect High School18900 Prospect Rd, Saratoga, CASaratoga, CA 95070GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough: Lynbrook High School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMQuad @ Lynbrook High School1280 Johnson AveSan Jose, CA 95129GET DETAILS & RSVP
- West Valley College WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMStudent Center QuadWest Valley College 14000 Fruitvale Ave.Saratoga, CA 95070GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough: Cupertino High School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCupertino High School10100 Finch AvenueCupertino, CA 95014GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Monta Vista High School and Community WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMMonta Vista High School21840 McClellan RdCupertino, CA 95014GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Milpitas High School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMMilpitas High School1285 Escuela Parkway, Milpitas, CA 95035Milpitas, CA 95035GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Mountain View High School and Community WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMMountain View High School3535 Truman AvenueMountain View, CA 94040GETDETAILS & RSVP
- Live Oak High School ENOUGH WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMThe Quad1505 E Main AveMorgan Hill , CA 95037GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Live Oak High School ENOUGH WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMThe Quad1505 E Main AveMorgan Hill , CA 95037GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Foothill College Campus Walk outMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMFoothill College Campus12345 El Monte RoadLos Altos Hills, CA 94022GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Los Altos High School and Community WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMLos Altos High School201 Almond AveLos Altos, CA 94022GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Waldorf School of the Peninsula WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMWaldorf School of the Peninsula180 N. RengstorffMountainview , CA 94043GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Juana Briones Elementary PTA- School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 9:30 AMJuana Briones Elementary School638 Maybell AvenuePalo Alto, CA 94306GET DETAILS & RSVP
- National School Walkout – Deaf StudiesMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMOutside Bldg 6 Ohlone College43600 Mission BlvdFremont, CA 94539GET DETAILS & RSVP
- National School Walkout: Fremont (Irvington Area)March 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMBASIS Independent Fremont3300 Kearney StreetFremont, CA 94538GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough is enough! Calling all concerned parents and alliesMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCorner of Paseo Padre and Walnut Ave, Fremont, CAAlameda County Veterans Memorial Park Fremont, CA 94538fremont, CA 94538GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Stanford Says ENOUGHMarch 14, 2018 • 9:45 AMGreen Library (Main Quad Side)557 Escondido MallStanford, CA 94305GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough! National School Walkout at Addison ElementaryMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMAddison Elementary650 Addison AvePalo Alto, CA 94301GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Paly and Palo Alto Community WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCorner of Embarcadero and El Camino (Town and Country)855 El Camino RealPalo Alto, CA 94301-3348GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough: National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMWashington High School38442 Fremont BlvdFremont, CA 94536GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Menlo-Atherton High School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMMenlo-Atherton High School555 Middlefield RdAtherton, CA 94027GET DETAILS & RSVP
- AHS WALKOUT FOR GUN CONTROLMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMAmerican High School36300 Fremont Blvd.Fremont, CA 94536GET DETAILS & RSVP
- JLHS ENOUGH Walk OutMarch 14, 2018 • 9:45 AMJames Logan High School1800 H StreetUnion City, CA 94587GET DETAILS & RSVP
- WALKOUT: Pacific Collegiate SchoolMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMPacific Collegiate School3004 Mission St.Santa Cruz, CA 95060GET DETAILS & RSVP
- AVHS Walkout for Gun ControlMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMAmador Valley High School1155 Santa Rita RoadPleasanton, CA 94566GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Foothill High School Walkout for Gun ControlMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMFoothill High School4375 Foothill RdPleasanton, CA 94588GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Harvest Park Walkout for Gun ControlMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMHarvest Park Middle School4900 Valley AvePleasanton, CA 94566GET DETAILS & RSVP
- GHS National Walkout For Parkland VictimsMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMGranada High School400 Wall StreetLivermore, CA 94550GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Tierra Linda School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMTierra Linda Middle School750 Dartmouth aveSan Carlos, CA 94070GET DETAILS & RSVP
- NDB Never Again WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMNotre Dame Belmont High School1540 Ralston AvenueBelmont, CA 94002GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Walkout Against Gun ViolenceMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMHayward High School1633 East AveHayward , CA 94541GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Ralston Walkout for Our LivesMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMRalston Middle School2675 Ralston AvenueBelmont, CA 94002GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Bay Meadows and Nueva School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMBay Meadows Park301 E 28th AveSan Mateo, CA 94403GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Hillsdale High School Walkout #NeverAgainMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMHHS Football Field3115 Del Monte StSan Mateo, CA 94403GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Creekside Walk OutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCreekside Middle School19722 Center StreetCastro Valley, CA 94546GET DETAILS & RSVP
- #ENOUGH: NATIONAL SCHOOL WALKOUT / PROTESTMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCanyon Middle School19600 Cull Canyon RdCastro Valley, CA 94552GETDETAILS & RSVP
- ENOUGH: School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMBorel Middle School425 Barneson AveSan Mateo, CA 94402GET DETAILS & RSVP
- #ENOUGH WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCastro Valley High School19400 Santa Maria AveCastro Valley, CA 94546GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Baywood Elementary School WALKOUTMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMBaywood Elementary School600 Alameda de las PulgasSan Mateo, CA 94402GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Dougherty Valley High School Community WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMDougherty Valley High School10550 Albion RdSan Ramon, CA 94582GETDETAILS & RSVP
- BURLINGAME HIGH SCHOOL WALKOUT #ENOUGHMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMBurlingame High School1 Mangini WayBurlingame , CA 94010GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Half Moon Bay High School Says #ENOUGHMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMHalf Moon Bay High School1 Lewis Foster DriveHalf Moon Bay, CA 94019GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Kimball Walk OutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMKimball High School3200 Jaguar Run, Tracy, CA 95377Tracy, CA 95377GET DETAILS & RSVP
- ENOUGH: National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMSan Ramon Valley High501 Danville BlvdDanville, CA 94526GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Tracy High WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMTracy High School315 Eleventh StreetTracy, CA 95376GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMJoaquin Moraga Intermediate School1010 Camino PabloMoraga, CA 94556GET DETAILS & RSVP
- ENOUGH Encinal High WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMEncinal High School210 Central Ave.Alameda, CA 94501GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough is Enough: Walkout for Gun ControlMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMAlameda Science and Technology Institute555 Atlantic AvenueAlameda, CA 94501GETDETAILS & RSVP
- Oakland High Says EnoughMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMOakland High School1023 MacArthur Blvd, OaklandOakland , CA 94610GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Miramonte ENOUGH: Never Again WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMMiramonte High School750 Moraga WayOrinda, CA 94563GET DETAILS & RSVP
- OHS Students say ENOUGH IS ENOUGHMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMOceana High School401 Paloma AvenuePacifica, CA 94044GET DETAILS & RSVP
- PHS 17 Minutes “Lie-In”March 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMPiedmont High School800 Magnolia AvePiedmont, CA 94611GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough is Enough: Campolindo WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCampolindo High School300 Moraga RoadMoraga, CA 94556GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Las Lomas says ENOUGHMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMLas Lomas High School1460 S Main StWalnut Creek, CA 94596GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Oakland Tech’s Day of ActionMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMOakland Technical High School4351 BroadwayOakland , CA 94611GET DETAILS & RSVP
- KIPP San Fransisco Bay Academy WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AM1401 Scott StThird FloorSan Francisco, CA 94112GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Westmoor Walkout #ENOUGHMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMWestmoor High School131 Westmoor AveDaly City, CA 94015GET DETAILS & RSVP
- National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMHeritage High SchoolHeritage High school, 101 American Ave, Brentwood, CA 9451394513, CA 94561GET DETAILS & RSVP
- ENOUGH: National School Walkout: LWHSMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMLick-Wilmerding High School755 Ocean AveSan Francisco, CA 94112GET DETAILS & RSVP
- College Prep’s Day of ActionMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMThe College Preparatory School6100 BroadwayOakland, CA 94618GET DETAILS & RSVP
- National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMClaremont Middle School5750 College Ave Oakland , CA 94618GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Chabot Elementary Standing up for Community SafetyMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMUpper Yard6686 Chabot RdOakland, CA 94618GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Bay View Academy – Walkout to Demand Action to Stop Gun ViolenceMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMBay View Academy190 Seeno StreetMonterey, CA 93940GETDETAILS & RSVP
- SF State School Walkout #EnoughMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMMalcolm X Plaza1650 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132San Francisco, CA 94132GET DETAILS & RSVP
- San Francisco Everett Middle School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:17 AMEverett Middle School450 Church StreetSan Francisco , CA 94114GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Monterey High School National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMMonterey High School101 Hermann Dr.Monterey, CA 93940GET DETAILS & RSVP
- City Hall Rally and March to Union SquareMarch 14, 2018 • 11:30 AMSan Francisco City Hall1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett PlSan Francisco, CA 94102GET DETAILS & RSVP
- #ENOUGH: National School Walkout- UC BerkeleyMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMSproul PlazaSather Rd Berkeley, CA 94704GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough Gun Violence: Ecole Bilingue Middle SchoolMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMEcole Bilingue Middle School901 Grayson StreetBerkeley, CA 94710GET DETAILS & RSVP
- All Out For Gun ReformMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMBerkeley High School (MEETING AT SENIOR STEPS)1980 Allston WayBerkeley , CA 94704GET DETAILS & RSVP
- UCSF White Coats Against Gun Violence WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 12:10 PMUCSF Library530 Parnassus AveSan Francisco, CA 94143GET DETAILS & RSVP
- The Berkeley School K8 Civic Engagement WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMThe Berkeley School1310 University AvenueBerkeley, CA 94702GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Saint Ignatius College Prep Walkout #EnoughMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMOutside Saint Ignatius College Prep2001 37th ave San Francisco, CA 94116GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Marina Middle School March Walkout #EnoughMarch 14, 2018 • 12:00 PMMarina Middle School3500 Fillmore st.San Francisco, CA 94123GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Freedom High School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMFreedom High School1050 Neroly RoadOakley, CA 94561GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Freedom High Support ENOUGH National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMFreedom High School1050 Neroly RdOakley , CA 94561GET DETAILS & RSVP
- College Park High National Walk OutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCollege Park High School201 Viking DrivePleasant Hill, CA 94523GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Enough is Enough: Gun Control AlbanyMarch 14, 2018 • 9:45 AMAlbany Middle School1259 Brigton AveAlbany , CA 94706GET DETAILS & RSVP
- DVC says #ENOUGH: National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMDVC Commons321 Golf Club Road Pleasant Hill, CA 94523GET DETAILS & RSVP
- ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: El Cerrito High School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMEl Cerrito High School540 Ashbury Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530GET DETAILS & RSVP
- MDHS Says #EnoughMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AM Mount Diablo High School2450 Grant St.Concord, CA 94520GET DETAILS & RSVP
- WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMLos Medanos Community College2700 East Leland RoadPittsburg, CA 94565GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Madera Elementary CaresMarch 14, 2018 • 9:45 AMMeet in upper playground after first recess or front of school8500 MADERA DREL CERRITO, CA 94530GET DETAILS & RSVP
- PHS Call 4 ChangeMarch 14, 2018 • 9:42 AMPittsburg High School1750 Harbor StreetPittsburg, CA 94565GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Alhambra High WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMAlhambra High School150 E StMartinez, CA 94553GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Ceres High School: National Walk OutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMCeres High School2320 Central AveCeres, CA 95307GET DETAILS & RSVP
- SCP School Walk-Out March 14, 2018 • 10:00 AM Salesian College Preparatory2851 Salesian Avenue Richmond, CA 94804GET DETAILS & RSVP
- National Walk OutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AM John H. Pitman High2525 W. Christoffersen PkwyTurlock, CA 95382GET DETAILS & RSVP
- National School Walkout –JHS March 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMJohansen High School641 Norseman DriveModesto, CA 95357 GET DETAILS & RSVP
- Walkout Against Gun Violence March 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMSan Joaquin Delta College5151 Pacific Ave.Stockton, CA 95207 GET DETAILS & RSVP
- National School WalkoutMarch 14, 2018 • 10:00 AMFranklin High School 4600 E Fremont St Stockton, CA 95215GET DETAILS & RSVP
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