Madison Students Participating In, Live Streaming Walkout

MADISON, NJ — Madison students will be participating in a National School Walkout day event on Wednesday, organizer Peri Munter told Patch. Over 350 students were signed up to participate as of Tuesday night, but that number could have grown since.

The event will begin at 10 a.m., and will last 17 minutes, one minute for every person killed in the Parkland, Florida school shooting. Munter will make opening remarks and other activities will include voter registration and letters to Parkland survivors.

No members of the outside media will be allowed at the Madison walkout, but reporters for the school's newspaper, the Madison Dodger Online, will be live streaming the event on their Facebook page starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Update, 9:28 a.m. Wednesday: A planned live stream has been cancelled by administrators. Read more here.

The walkout was planned with the school's support and, as a safety measure, the school is not saying in advance where it will be taking place (other county schools have chosen to hold their demonstrations inside). There will be a "strong police presence," Madison principal Greg Robertson said in a letter sent home to parents.

Students will not be punished for participating, and may not force other students to participate, Robertson said.

He also said the coordination of the protest should not be considered "precedent setting," and the school reserves the right to not allow future demonstrations.

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)