National School Walkouts
Following the deadly school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last week, students have organized a national school walkout. It is planned for April 20, 2018, the nineteenth anniversary of the Columbine school shooting.
Survivors of the shooting have been speaking out on social media and at rallies to voice their opinions. Several students and activists have called for action with the refrain, “never again.”
The proposal for the walkout was created by Lane Murdock, who lives near Sandy Hook Elementary, where twenty students were killed by a shooter in 2012. Murdock created a change.org petition page to gather signatures, and a Twitter account to bring publicity to the event.
Murdock describes the goal of the walkout is to let the government know that it is time for change. Kate Bowers, a student at Padua, says, “I think that if enough people do it, it could actually make a difference.”
Several other walkouts and rallies have also been organized in response. The Women’s March’s Youth Empower group is planning another national school walkout on March 14 at 10:00am, and a “March for Our Lives” rally on March 24 in Washington, D.C. to call for school safety and gun control.
The walkout will take place on April 20, 2018 at 10:00am. Participants are encouraged to wear orange during the event. Riley Hickox, a Padua student, says, “The walkout would be a nice way to create awareness for the victims and show our condolences.”