Paramus Students Walk Out, Say They 'Will Make A Difference'

PARAMUS, NJ — Paramus High School students walked out of class at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and braved the cold to send a message that they will no longer be victims to gun violence in schools.

The 17-minute walkout is one of hundreds that were held across the United States spearheaded by the Enough National School Walkout of the Women's March Youth EMPOWER nonprofit. The length of time is done in memory of the 17 victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida earlier this year. (See Related: Florida Shooting Victim, 14, Lived In NJ, 'Loved, Well-Respected')

"To us students this walkout as not just about individual political opinions, this is about students — of all ages — going to school and feeling safe," said Vishva Bhatt, the student who organized the Paramus walkout. "We, as the students of today and the leaders of tomorrow will no longer be complacent, we will speak out, and we will make a difference."

The walkout is one of hundreds that was held across the United States spearheaded by the Enough National School Walkout of the Women's March Youth EMPOWER nonprofit. Other walkouts were held in Glen Rock, Paramus, Fair Lawn, Wayne and at other North Jersey high schools.

"We stand in solidarity with the students in Parkland, and the thousands of others who will no longer tolerate preventable gun violence," Bhatt said. "We rise up, together and with unwavering courage, against gun violence."

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Photos: Paramus High School students stand outside the school during a walkout against gun violence Wednesday. The walkout was one of many held in Bergen County. Courtesy of Vishva Bhatt