Burlington High School Students Ready For Friday Walkout

BURLINGTON, MA -- Students at Burlington High School will walk out of classes at 10 am Monday morning to protest Congressional inaction on gun laws in the wake of recent school shootings. The students had originally planned to conduct the walk out -- which is being done with the blessing of school administrators -- in conjunction with students around the country on Wednesday. Those plans, however, were scuttled, when bad weather closed Burlington schools.

Students from around the state did, however, gather at the State House in Boston Wednesday. Chants of "No justice, no peace!" and "Hey hey, ho ho, the NRA has got to go" flooded the Boston Common paths as the protest moved from the Cathedral Church of St. Paul to the State House; police stopped traffic to let them cross the street. "Not in our schools, not in our streets" rung out in front of the General (Joseph) Hooker Entrance to the State House, which turned into "State House? Our house!"

With many students at Burlington High School planning to participate in a national walkout to protest gun violence and Congressional inaction on school shootings, Principal Mark Sullivan released a lengthy note to students and parents earlier this week. The memo outlines safety measures the school would take in conjunction with Burlington Police, as well as programming the school was planning for students that choose to participate and not participate in the walkout.

Earlier this week, more than 15 community leaders signed a letter supporting the action by the Burlington High School students. Students participating in the walkout will gather in front of the school to observe the moment of silence. The Florida shooting was the seventh of 13 school shootings that have left 23 people dead 43 people injured since the start of the year. The walkouts, which were initially proposed by organizers behind the Women's March, are being held to "protest Congress' inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods."

The full text of Sullivan's letter is printed below:

On 3/14 some students may choose to honor their Parkland peers by walking to a designated location for a short period of time as part of a national walkout, some may choose to not participate and remain in school. BHS respects the right of everyone to exercise their free speech while at the same time maintaining the integrity of our educational institution. The Leadership Team at BHS has discussed how to handle the choices of students, what we can do as a faculty to support them, and, most importantly, how to keep them safe.

A walkout is not a school activity, but a student-organized event. However, BHS Administration and the BPD will be taking safety precautions and increasing security measures around our campus to ensure the well-being of any students who might engage in a walkout during this time. Our intention is to not allow students to exit past the parking circle in front of the building.

In addition to any student event, our school community has decided to embrace this as a teachable moment and offer several opportunities for teachers and staff during a thirty-minute break from classes on March 14th, from 10:00-10:30. This opportunity ties into our mission and core values, which include the fostering of respect, empathy, and independence. Specifically, we will help to generate questions and investigate a topic, work collaboratively, demonstrate strength of character, exhibit respect for ourselves and empathy for others, and actively and responsibly participate as members of a local and global society.

In addition to any student-generated action, students and staff can choose to engage in one of the following activities during this time:

Staff led informational/talking session and/or interactive workshops that students can attend to discuss various topics (an up to date list will be sent to students and staff on Wednesday morning):

• The second amendment - Mr. Whitten (413)
• Kindness & Compassion go a long way - Ms. DeRosa (207)
• How students have and can impact change: ideas for effective civic action - Mrs. Smetana (308)
• Maybe We're Both Right: Embracing Complexity with "Both/And" Thinking - Ms. Bularzik (310)
• Political Parties, Voter Registration (Pre-Registration), Elections - Ms. Fishel (418)
• Writing out all the names of school shooting victims - Dr. Gould (401)
• Zen Coloring & Friendships Bracelets - Come relax and introduce yourself to peers - Mrs. Graham (library)
• Poetry exercises - Mrs. Janovitz
• Art Exhibition Preview & Make a Visual Statement: "What's On Your Mind?: Draw Your Thoughts" - Mr. Ratkevich (lower library)

Guidance staff, including our School Adjustment Counselor and School Psychologist, will be available to speak with students who are looking for support/guidance and/or want information on steps our support staff take to work with students.

Staff and students can assemble informally in the library with the intent of meeting new people. Those in attendance can introduce themselves to individuals they do not know in an effort to build community and ensure that all students/staff have connections in the school and that nobody is anonymous. To help facilitate this, we encourage students to take selfies with the hashtag #17selfies, or to start off by finding someone with the same color shirt and introduce themselves. At the same time in the library, all are encouraged to participate in a "Zen Coloring & Friendship Bracelets: Come relax and introduce yourself to your peers” or poetry session led by Mrs. Janovitz.

Any staff or students choosing to remain in their classes can use the time for an extended moment of silence for the victims of the shooting in Parkland Florida. This can be followed by using the time for a quiet study period.

All students are expected to be in their period 3 classes at 10:30 and teachers will take attendance for period 3 at that time.

For any students wishing to speak about 3/14, or any other issues that might be going on, please remember that administration and guidance have an open door policy and anyone is welcome to stop in at any time.

If you have any questions, as always, please do not hesitate to contact the school for support.

Mark Sullivan

Principal, BHS

Photos of students during Wednesday's State House rally by Jenna Fisher/Patch