Manchester Schools neutral on Wednesday’s walkout
At 10 am on Wednesday, March 14, students and teachers across the country will be participating in a National School Walkout for 17 minutes. March 14 is the 1-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The walkout is intended to protest Congress’s inaction in response to gun violence plaguing schools and neighborhoods. The 17 minutes are in honor of the 17 lives taken in that shooting. The walk-out is being organized on a national level by a group of teenagers in the youth arm of the Women’s March, Youth Empower. They state, “We are living in an age where young people like us do not feel safe in our schools. This issue is personal for all of us, especially for those of us who are survivors of gun violence.” And, “We need action. Students and allies are organizing the national school walkout to demand Congress pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets, and in our homes and places of worship.”
In Manchester, the walkouts planned are also student organized. At Klager Elementary, the student walkout is being organized by a 5th and a 6th grader. The 6th grader, Danielle Blumenstein, stated that she has sent an email out to all of the 5th and 6th graders at Klager (only 5th and 6th graders at Klager can participate) explaining the purpose of the walkout, and asking them to join her and her co-organizer. When asked why, she stated, “It is important to me to participate because these people lost their lives, and they were innocent lives, because people brought guns to school. So if we walk out we can make a difference, and maybe no one else will lose their lives.” Danielle explained that she purposely left politics out of her email because politics aren’t the point and she didn’t want students not to participate because of politics.
Last Thursday, interim Superintendent Brad Hamilton sent a letter about the walkout to parents. The letter explained that the school district was taking a position of neutrality; students could participate without facing punishment, and that for those 17 minutes teacher supervision would be provided for both students who participated and those who didn’t.
He stated,
“Manchester schools feel this can be a very positive learning experience for our students. As we have seen how to achieve safe schools can be a divisive topic. However having constructive and respectful dialog is important for students to learn and understand. Our U.S. Supreme court articulated the importance of respectful conversations when they wrote:
The vigilant protection of constitutional freedoms is nowhere more vital than in the community of American Schools. The classroom is peculiarly the “marketplace of ideas.” The nation’s future depends upon leaders trained through wide exposure to the robust exchange of ideas which discovers truth out of a multitude of tongues, rather than through any kind of robust authoritative selection.”
Living at 329 Ann Arbor Street, JoAnn Okey has a unique relationship with Klager Elementary School, as its next door neighbor. When she heard about the walkout, she decided she wanted to do something to show support and convey that as a community we value the lives of our kids and school staff. She is hosting a protest with coffee on her lawn Wednesday morning for community members. Okey stated, “Everyone is welcome starting at 9:30 am. Banners and posters are welcome.” She explained the purpose of the protest, “To declare the end of school violence and offer our support to our students and staff. We will stand in solidarity with educators, students, and parents across the country. I invite community members to join us.”
After Wednesday’s walk out, two other events are scheduled nationally, March 4 Our Lives in Washington DC on March 24th, and an all day school walk out on April 20th–the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.
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