Mansfield HS Faces Prospect Of Walkout For Parkland Victims

MANSFIELD, MA — The events of the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida has most school officials thinking about security and students considering a walkout.

Murphy told the school committee Tuesday that she’s received some positive feedback on a letter to the community on school security, which was sent out five days before the shooting. The letter, written by Murphy, Police Chief Ron Sellon, and Fire Chief Neil Boldrighini goes over the steps the school district takes to provide a safe learning environment. Some of those steps includes the use of a school resource officer, mental health support, locked exterior doors, and security cameras.

Murphy also clarified that the front doors of the schools do have security cameras which allows the front office to see who is coming in, contrary to what some members of the community believed.

Other parts of the safety plan are kept between town officials and were not shared Tuesday night.

In related news, Murphy said she is planning on meeting with the leadership team to discuss a proposed student walkout on March 14. Murphy said after the meeting that there has been a lot of communication between area principals and superintendents about how to approach the prospect of students leaving class

Murphy noted that the walkout is not a protest, but rather a 17-minute tribute for the 17 victims who were killed in the shooting.

"Our goal is to make sure our students are safe and have an opportunity for free speech. It's an issue that had brought a lot of conversation to the table," she said after Tuesday night's meeting.

The schools head said she’ll hear what the administrators are hearing from students Wednesday. While nothing is set in stone, it's unlikely that anyone will face discipline for leaving class as long as they are respectful and act appropriately.

The March 14 walkout was proposed by the group Women’s March Youth EMPOWER, which is calling on students and teachers to leave school for 17 minutes to remember the victims and send a message to Congress to pass stricter gun laws.

Below is the full letter:

Image: File Photo