At 10:00AM on March 14th, exactly one month after tragedy struck in Parkland, Florida, thousands of students all around the country (and world) will walk out of their classrooms in an act to honor the victims of the Stoneman Douglas school shooting and demand change before another mass shooting takes place.
Organized in part by the Women’s March Youth branch ‘EMPOWER’, the walkouts are planned to last 17 minutes in honor of the 17 people who lost their lives in the Parkland shooting. The group is calling for students, parents and faculty to join together in protest of “congress’ inability to do more than “tweet thoughts and prayers in response school shootings”.
Ahead of the walkout, the group has listed specific policy demands, including expanded background checks, banning assault weapons and opposing putting more guns in schools, something the president continues to call for.
Over 2500 walkouts are registered for March 14th, with more continuing to be planned. While many schools have publicly stated support for students planning to walkout, others have threatened disciplinary action against students who choose to participate.
Stay tuned to Citizen Ed this week for coverage of the student walkouts.