Arlington Students Represent At State House Gun Violence Rally

ARLINGTON, MA — At least 25 students from Arlington made their way to the State House on Beacon Hill Wednesday ahead of their own rally, which was postponed until Thursday on account of the snow day.

Students across the country planned to walk out of their classes Wednesday at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 people killed in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting last month. The snow cancellations in the Commonwealth meant many high schools had to relocate or reschedule their walkouts. But WalkOut for Action and March for Our Lives organizers took to social media and email to let students know the State House rally was still on.

"We really just wanted to show that we believe in something enough that we're willing to fight for it," Maren Larkin told the Boston Patch on the steps of the State House as hundreds chanted around her and her classmates.

>> Read more about how the Boston rally went.

After students rallied outside the State House, they moved inside to share their message with legislators in a group setting and then in smaller groups.

Several Arlington students met with Rep. Sean Garballey, Rep. Dave Rogers and Senator Cindy Friedman.

"It was amazing to have students from across MA come together to raise our voices. It’s so important that we continue to push for change at a state and national level and we need to work with our elected officials to get this done. I think today was a good learning experience for a lot of students who had never directly spoken to their elected officials before and I believe that that is an essential skill to learn. I hope that there is another day of lobbying like this!" said Isa Dray a junior at Arlington High School in an email to Patch.

Reps. Garballey and Rogers told students they'd be at the Arlington rally Thursday, though Friedman told them she though supportive, she had a meeting scheduled.

The student council, which helped organize Arlington's event slated for March 14, said they still expect hundreds of Arlington High School students to walk out of school on the snow date to demand an end to gun-related violence in the wake of the attack at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead.

"We're taking time out of our day to make it known that even though we can't vote we know enough about the issues we want to take action in whatever way we can," Sundar Rajan told Patch earlier.

In Arlington there will be no disciplinary measures that will be taken provided students return to class following the 17-minute walkout, according to the Arlington Superintendent. Students are responsible for making up missed work. Students are free to participate or not in the walkout and have been asked to respect the decision of their fellow students. The police will be present to ensure the safety of students. This is a student-led school event, not a community event, she said.

"I am proud of our students for taking the initiative to organize and thoughtfully plan an event to memorialize the lives of 17 students and faculty members at Parkland High School who were killed on February 18. Students are learning that they have an important voice in state and national debates that involve their safety and future. While students have certain First Amendment rights, that does not include the right to disrupt education so they are working collaboratively with administration and the Police Department to ensure a positive, impactful, and peaceful event that is respectful of all members of the high school community," said Kathleen Bodee in a statement emailed to Patch

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Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch