200 Hazlet Students Walk Out After Florida Shooting

HAZLET, NJ — Approximately 200 students walked out of class Wednesday afternoon at Raritan High School in Hazlet in the wake of the Florida high school shooting. The students were led by staff out to the track, superintendent Dr. Scott Ridley told Patch.

This came after a half-mile run Tuesday around the track, which was led by Raritan athletic director John DeGenito. The half-mile run was not necessarily political, and one Hazlet mom said her son participated as more of a memorial service for the 17 teens and teachers killed last week in Florida by a lone teen gunman with an assault weapon. Many athletes and coaches at Raritan participated; the run was dedicated to the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The Hazlet teens are joining a groundswell of high school walkouts across the country: 200 teens at Middletown High School South walked out today, as did kids at a high school in Manahawkin, NJ. Some protests have been more overtly political: Teens from three Toms River high schools rallied at a library on Monday and called on Congress to pass stronger gun control laws.

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Dr. Ridley said the students and staff who organized the walkout will not be punished and he views this as "a teaching moment."

"The event ran smoothly, without incident, and the students returned to school safely," Dr. Scott said in a letter sent to Hazlet parents. "Events such as this are never meant to be an 'us against them' declaration; I wholeheartedly believe in dialogue over punitive action and saw this as a 'teaching moment' for our young people as they come of age and are forced to confront realities that have sadly become part of their world."

"As our boys and girls walked around the track together, conversation was rich and meaningful and I do believe, made a difference," he said. "I hope the rich discussions that started today continue around Hazlet dinner tables tonight."