Deerfield, Highland Park High School Students Walk Out Of School

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — More than 1,600 students from Highland Park High School and Deerfield High School participated in Wednesday's national school walkout. At both schools, some students marched off campus to make their voices heard publicly. A group of DHS students headed to Village Hall, where they were greeted by local elected officials, while HPHS students rallied in Port Clinton Square. District administrators said afterwards they were "proud" of how their students behaved themselves.

Led by teens and tolerated by the school's leadership, the walkouts were part of thousands of events across the country. The demonstrations were coordinated by a branch of the Women's March organization to mark one month since 17 people were massacred in a Florida high school and take action in response.

The protests took different forms in different communities, as students demanded safer schools and stricter gun laws while remembering the lives of those killed in school shootings.

Deerfield High School students kept a memorial event held on the football field with hundreds of students apolitical before dozens of students headed to Village Hall to call for tougher gun control regulations.

They were greeted by Mayor Harriet Rosenthal, West Deerfield Township Supervisor Alyson Feiger, Trustee Barbara Struthers and other officials, according to the Deerfield Review.

DHS students thanked village leaders for moving toward an assault weapons ban, which could take effect as early as next month.

Two senior organizers of the Highland Park High School walkout said that administrators did not cooperate with the planning of the event, although there was also a faculty-led walkout, Daily North Shore reported.

District 113 administrators had closed both high school campuses to visitors and the media for the day, citing concerns for student safety. They also notified the community ahead of the event that students would not be disciplined for their choice whether or not to participate.

The pair of HPHS student organizers said they chose to hold their demonstration in a public space to allow members of the community to join with students and maximize the effect of the walkout.

District spokeswoman Christine Gonzales said administrators supported all students during the demonstration, whether they chose to walk out or not.

"Our principals worked closely with our students and student groups to learn of their plans and coordinate a safe environment in which students could demonstrate," she said. "For students who chose not to participate, we ensured meaningful learning occurred in their normally scheduled classes."

Police reported no disruptions among student demonstrators from either school.

After the walkout was over, students returned to classes and were "thoughtful, respectful and peaceful in their expression," administrators said.

"Students, we hope that each of you achieved the goals you had established for the day," wrote Superintendent Christopher Dignam, Deerfield High School Principal Kathryn Anderson and Highland Park High School Principal Elizabeth Pérez Robertson in a joint letter.

"Our hope for our students is that they take what they learn in their classrooms and apply those skills to real world issues and contexts. The decision of whether or not to participate provided our students with an opportunity to reflect on their own beliefs and take action in the way they found most meaningful and appropriate," it said. The administrators also parents for having thoughtful discussions with their students to help them better understand the national conversation.

Student activists seeking to stem gun violence are planning more upcoming events. On March 24, the March For Our Lives rally is taking place in Washington, D.C. and more walkouts are being planned for the April 20 anniversary of the massacre at Columbine, when 21 people were shot inside a Colorado high school.

Some photos from today's #NationalWalkoutDay in Highland Park. @HighlandParkHS students marched from campus to Port Clinton Square in downtown Highland Park. pic.twitter.com/zZ81hC3nm7
— Xavier Ward (@XavierAWard) March 14, 2018

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