Haddonfield Students, Teachers Rally On Walkout Day: Report

HADDONFIELD, NJ — While students across the country walked out of class in protest of gun violence Wednesday morning, students and teachers in Haddonfield reportedly took a different approach to the subject.

Walkouts took place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with 17 minutes of silence to honor the 17 students and staff killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Valentine's Day.

In Haddonfield, teachers, parents and administrators joined about 100 students for a short rally before the school day began, the Courier Post reports. They met in Kings Court for the rally before walking to their respective schools throughout the district. The walk was the district’s way of showing the students that it supports them and believes in keeping them safe.

“I applaud the courage of the students and teachers who are standing in unity with their peers in Parkland, Florida, by participating in walkout demonstrations across Camden County," Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. "This generation is demanding that their voices be heard, and they are demanding that something be done to keep their schools, their friends, and their loved ones safe. These incredible young adults, in our communities and across the nation, are setting an example for generations to come, and for those that came before them, of what it means to participate in the democratic process and how to propel a call for change across the nation. I will gladly stand beside them and demand that our representatives in Congress and President Trump finally enact common sense gun reform and reduce the number of senseless gun deaths in this country. We need to ensure that the voices of our children are louder than the campaign donations of the NRA and the gun lobby.”

Safety is a concern for students in schools across the country, which is what the walkout on March 14 was about. Calls for a nationwide student walkout to demand stricter gun laws began just days after the mass shootings that killed 14 students and three staff members and injured 16 other people. They have been met with mixed responses from school administrators across the country. Some have threatened suspensions or even expulsions, while others have staunchly backed the students' walkouts.

In Gloucester County, that decision was taken out of the hands of school administrators in the Clearview Regional School Disrtrict when an unspecified threat resulted in school being canceled on Wednesday. Read more here: Threat Closes South Jersey School District On Walkout Day

Walkouts were also held in Ocean City, Cherry Hill and Pitman in South Jersey. In South Brunswick, students put 17 empty desks on the football field, read something about each person killed and placed a rose on each desk. In North Jersey, about 1,000 students walked out at Ridgewood High School.

Anyone who has photos from Wednesday's event and would like to submit them to Patch can send them to Anthony.Bellano@patch.com.

Attached image: Deerfield Beach high school students arrive at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after walking the 11 miles from school to school in support of the victims of the mass shooting on campus on February 23, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. Police arrested 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz for killing 17 people at the high school. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)