Peabody Students To Protest Gun Violence In National Walkout

PEABODY, MA -- Students at Peabody High School are gearing up to participate in a March 14 walkout to raise awareness of gun violence and pressure Congress to enact stricter gun controls. Students across the country are planning to walkout of school at 10 am on march 14 for 17 minutes -- one minute each for each of the victims killed last week at the Marjorie Stoneham Douglas High in Florida.

The Florida shooting was the seventh of eight school shootings that have left 20 people dead 41 people injured since the start of the year. The Peabody walkout is being done with the blessing of the administration. Peabody interim superintendent Herb Levine issued the following guidelines to a parent of a high school student that inquired about the walkout. Keith Doucette, the parent who contacted Levine, posted the following message on the City of Peabody Community Group on Facebook:

I and the Mayor met with the students this morning for a dialogue on safety and other issues. I explained that I would support students who decided to walk out on March 14 under the following conditions:

1. The walkout go to the football field.

2. The students choose those whom they would like to represent their views at a podium that we will provide.

3. The walkout message is respectful, and respectful of those who choose not to walk out and those with differing points of view.

4. The kids get the message across about our great democracy, political protest and freedom of speech and assembly.

5. This takes place within a reasonable time period (30 minutes or so).

6. Any student walking out must have parent permission to do so.

Under these conditions, there will be no disciplinary action taken.

For now, the walkout is planned for the high school only. Further instructions will be issued if similar walkouts are planned for the Higgins Middle School or the district's elementary schools.

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Photo: Jessica Gargaro, 15, left, and Sarah Goodchild, 15, both students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, place flowers outside the school on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018, in Parkland, Fla. Authorities opened the streets around the school, which had been closed since a mass shooting on Wednesday. Nikolas Cruz, a former student, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).