Iowa City Students Stage Walkout to Protest Shootings
CBS2 is reporting that students from three Iowa City schools have walked out of class in protest of school shootings, particularly the one which occurred last week in Parkland, Florida killing 17 and injuring 14 others.
The Iowa City School District has since released the following statement:
Today, junior high and high school students across our district participated in a planned student walkout calling for government action to prevent school shootings. Students always have the right to peacefully protest, and the District applauds their engagement in social action and honors their right to free speech. Students were encouraged to notify their parents if they planned to participate, and parents were able to excuse their absence by notifying the school. Additionally, each school worked to notify parents of student absences if no previous communication was received.
When student leadership groups notify their building administration of a planned demonstration, the District is able to work through situations of this type effectively with minimal disruption to the school day. However, at the time we learned of this potential protest, we were not able to confirm whether it would in fact take place. Reflecting on this, we will be sure to communicate the potential for such events with the appropriate school communities going forward. If you would like to discuss this in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We will keep you updated on this story as details are released.