The National School Walkout is set for March 14 at 10 a.m. and will last 17 minutes to honor the 17 students and staff members killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day.
If you have any concerns, contact your district’s legal counsel.
Do not restrict protected student speech.
Schools are allowed to set reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on the activity.
This is similar to the National Anthem issue but on a larger scale. (Remember the schools that objected were the ones in the media.)
Schools must remain neutral--not seen as being in support or non-support--while being prepared for the walkouts, since advance notice (a set time and date) has been given.
Talking Points/Key Messages
Frame the issue as student/school safety--rather than gun control--in your messaging.
We’re working with students, staff, and local authorities to ensure students are safe and are able to have their voices heard.
We will be respecting the rights of all students, whether they choose to participate or not.
The role of our staff during this time will be to help keep our students safe.
During the planned activities, our staff will be with our students.
This can be a learning opportunity that helps our students apply the citizenship lessons that they are learning in school.
We encourage our students to be actively engaged citizens who are knowledgeable about multiple viewpoints surrounding current events. We teach them how to participate in our democracy in a variety of ways that might include addressing lawmakers through letters, creative works that help express how they feel about an issue, and discussions. Through these kinds of experiences, our students learn the skills they need to form, support and express their own personal positions on issues.