Toms River Schools Prepared For National Student Walkouts

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Students in schools across the country will be walking out on Wednesday to mark the one-month anniversary of the massacre at a Florida high school, a situation that has put many district administrators in a difficult position: How do you honor the students' desire to speak out while at the same time ensuring they are safe?

In the Toms River Regional School District, details of what will be occurring Wednesday in the schools have not being announced. Nationally the walkouts are planned for 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.

"We support the initiative of students to speak and express their concerns on the issue of gun violence and other areas important to them," Superintendent David Healy said Monday. "We have been working over the past several weeks to allow them to do so within a safe environment."

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.

Many more, however, are caught between trying to honor the students' voices and opinions while at the same time they are under relentless pressure from terrified parents to find ways to tighten up school security.

The district said there have been extensive discussions between high school staff and students that have included making sure any event would not be disruptive or violate district policies.

"Schools will follow established protocols regarding student attendance and behavior, and students will neither be required to nor denied the opportunity to peacefully participate in any activity established for that period," the district said in a news release.

Bulletins from the NJ Commissioner of Education and NJ School Boards Association cautioned districts to be mindful of the increased security risks posed by such gatherings, officials said.

The state Department of Education recommended, among other steps, making sure:

• any gathering is away from areas in view of, or easily accessible to, the general public
• assembly sites and pedestrian routes are not exposed to vehicular traffic
• access to the gathering site is well controlled.

"Schools are increasingly tasked with more than just educating children." the district statement said. "Student, staff, and community safety, health, and well-being while on school premises are of primary concern."

Many teachers see this as an opportunity for learning and to promote student voice an essential part of the school curriculum, and school counselors have been especially mindful of student concerns, the statement said. Parents have also contributed productively to the conversation, and have asked how they can support their children, the statement said.

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)