CCSD Won't Penalize Students Who Protest Gun Laws

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — Thousands of students are expected to take part in a walkout this month in an effort to advocate for stricter gun laws, and Cherokee County School District students who want to join their counterparts won't face disciplinary or academic penalties. That's according to the system, which announced its position Wednesday in a letter dispatched to parents.

The March 14 walkout, which will coincide with the National School Walkout day, is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., according to the main campaign website. Only one school in the Cherokee County School District — Etowah High School — has indicated it will participate in the national initiative.

The walkouts will be held a month after the Valentine's Day massacre at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students, teachers and coaches were killed by accused gunman Nikolas Cruz. According to the site, students who take part in the protest will leave their classrooms for 17 minutes — one minute for each life taken at the school (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here).

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The Cherokee County School District said it respects students' constitutional right to political speech and assembly, but added it's "strongly committed to ensuring such activities don’t disrupt the education of their classmates." Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Hightower directed principals to help student government leaders in their plans to coordinate any activities. While the events will be led by students, they will be supervised by school administrators and CCSD school police officers to ensure safety and security, the district said.

"Students are not required to participate in these events, and classroom activities will continue during these events," the system added. "Students who participate in the events will not face academic penalty or disciplinary action as long as they promptly return to class at the event’s conclusion. It is our hope that these events will be a time for students to reflect on the lives lost in Parkland, strengthen their feelings of school unity and know that their school district supports them."

The response of school systems across the region vary. For example, Fulton County Schools said its students will be allowed to express themselves as long as their activities do not disrupt operations or classroom instruction. In Cobb, that system said it would not "endorse" any activities that would disrupt the classroom.

You can find a full list of schools participating in the walkout by clicking here.

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(Patch National Editor Kara Seymour contributed to this article)