Student Walkouts, Memorials Planned After Parkland Shooting

CONCORD, NH — More than 20 different student actions are planned in New Hampshire in an effort by high- and middle-school students to raise awareness about violence in schools in the wake of a shooting incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, that took the lives of 14 students and three school officials earlier this year. Local actions include the Concord High School’s March For Our Lives, a National School Walkout at Bedford High School, Milford High School Enough Walkout, Nashua High School-South Walkout #Enough, a National School Walkout at Windham High School, Exeter High School Enough Walkout 2018, a corresponding rally – Enough! We Stand With Students – at Exeter Town Hall, and an Enough! National School Walkout – Seacoast, New Hampshire, in Market Square in Portsmouth. The walkouts will take place at 10 a.m. on March 14, 2018.

Other walkouts are scheduled in Plymouth, Lebanon, John Stark, Goffstown, Hillsboro-Deering, Stratham Regional Middle School, Newfound Regional, Thornton Academy, and other schools.

Some sort of national action was originally initiated by survivors of the tragedy in Florida called “March for Our Lives.” The organization set up a national rally in Washington, DC, for Sunday, March 24, “to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end this epidemic of mass school shootings.” Many of the loudest voices in the movement moved from requesting many of the same things requested by Everytown for Gun Safety, an effort launched after the Sandyhook shootings – national legislation for waiting periods for gun purchases, expanded background checks as well as limited magazine capacity and caliber settings – to outright confiscation of all firearms privately owned in the United States.

Not long after the announcement of the national rally, a national student walkout effort was organized for March 14, by Women’s March – a collection of anti-sexual harassment and social justice political organizations interested in motivating women to get to the polls in November to elect Democrats in an effort to oppose anything President Donald Trump and Republicans propose.

At the same time, hundreds of pro-2nd Amendment activists rallied at the Statehouse in Concord last weekend in an effort to preserve gun ownership rights. The effort was organized by the New Hampshire Women's Defense League.

At least one student action is a memorial service planned for Rundlett Middle School in Concord.

Principal Jim McCollum, who is retiring this year, informed parents this week that in an effort to allow students the opportunity to stand united with their peers across the nation, the school would hold a structured walkout in the form of a “17 Minutes of Silence” memorial service.

“The focus will not be political,” he said. “It will be memorial. Teachers will be required to exercise thoughtfulness as students are not required to participate.”

Students will have the choice to participate and parents are being allowed to exercise their rights to direct their children how to participate – or not – if needed, he noted. Teachers will remain in classrooms where students choose not to participate in the memorial service while school administrators, supporter personnel, and Concord Police will supervise students outside.

“Ensuring the safety of our students remains essential even when offering choices around areas like this,” McCollum stated.

While the state of New Hampshire has had a limited amount of school shootings, there have been a plethora threat incidents inside and at schools in the state – including a threat last month in Concord on Snapchat featuring a picture of the alleged Parkland shooter with the statement, "My brother did not do enoughshoorting (sic) but I will do better than him on Friday at concord (sic) High School."

A recent study by Northeastern University noted that, despite media coverage, mass school shootings are actually quite rare and in decline since the 1990s.

After the Florida incident, school officials and police began taking all kinds of precautions to address potential threats in the state not unlike the preparation plans made in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 and the Boston Marathon bombing attacks in April 2013. Schools and police officers in Concord have been irregularly holding training and drills for a number of years, in an effort to be prepared for any kind of incident.

A rash of incidents also occurred right after the Parkland incident which led to classes being canceled in Weare and Henniker due to threats that were later discovered to be unfounded. High school students in Somersworth and Epping were also arrested for alleged threats they made that closed schools, according to press reports.

At about this time last year, a number of schools across New Hampshire were hit by various threats including bombing and shooting threats. In December 2015, Concord High School officials found a threat scrawled on a bathroom wall. Another threat was reported in March 2016. A few months later, the Bow High School was evacuated due to a bomb threat while Portsmouth High School also received a threat. Bomb threats were reported in Keene and Nashua. A couple of days later, more threats were reported in Manchester, Pembroke, and Portsmouth. In December 2016, Oyster River High School was placed in lockdown and classes were dismissed after a threat was found on a bathroom wall. Numerous threats during the past few years have also been reported at Pembroke Academy, including bomb threats and lockdowns. Officials have also been training in that community to be prepared.

Local, state, and federal officials as well as law enforcement are making plans to improve school safety, with policymakers debating proposals on both the state and federal level.

Caption: Police line the entrance to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to greet returning students and their families in late February. Credit: Paul Scicchitano.