Watch Pleasanton Students Take Part In National School Walkouts

PLEASANTON, CA — One month after the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 people dead, thousands of high school and middle school students in Pleasanton walked out of class as part of a nationwide effort to push lawmakers to come up with "common sense gun control" laws and to remember the victims. Thousands of schools, including many in the East Bay, participated in the student demonstrations Wednesday morning.

Organizers of the Women's March called on students, teachers, administrators and parents to participate. The ENOUGH National School Walkout was held at 10 a.m. March 14, exactly one month from the Florida shooting, and is expected to last 17 minutes — one minute for each life lost.

More than 1,500 students at Foothill High school participated in the demonstration, which lasted about 45 minutes. The students, many wearing orange, marched in solidarity through the campus while chanting. A handful of counter protestors prompted a discussion between the student groups. Student leaders at the school said they will plan future events and intend to participate in additional walkouts.

Students from Foothill, Amador Valley, Hart, Harvest Park and Pleasanton Middle schools recently created a group called Students For Social Change to help raise money for the Florida victims. The teenagers spent hours designing t-shirts and posters to use during the demonstration and have raised several thousand dollars so far.

Hundreds of students in Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon and Danville also demonstrated Wednesday.

WATCH Foothill High students in Pleasanton take part in nationwide walkout:

WATCH students explain why they joined the walkout:

A Pleasanton Unified School District spokesperson said school administrators anticipated demonstrations on campus at both high schools.

"We support all students’ right to freedom of speech. School administrators have worked with students interested in participating in this nationwide movement to provide a safe space for them to exercise their rights at the school site. We want students to know that they have an important role to play in our democratic process and that their voices matter as long as they exercise their rights in a safe and constructive way."

Despite inaction from federal legislators in the month since the tragic shooting, businesses nationwide have taken it upon themselves to raise the age limit for purchasing firearms as well as removing assault rifles from their inventories. This action has been met with widespread criticism from both sides of the gun argument.

See Also:

• 'Kids Shouldn't Be Afraid At School,' Pleasanton Students Say

Photos, videos courtesy Autumn Johnson/ Patch