West Orange Students Hold Walkout, Vigil On Gun Violence

WEST ORANGE, NJ — They walked out of their classes on Wednesday morning in West Orange, joining thousands of their peers across the nation in a protest against gun violence.

On March 14, students in West Orange participated in the national #ENOUGH rallies, which were timed for March 14 to coincide with the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The walkouts each were slated to last 17 minutes, one for each life taken during the tragedy. (Learn more about the protest here)

According to West Orange school administrators:

"Nearly 1,800 students stood on the field at Suriano Stadium in somber respect to honor their peers killed in the Parkland shooting. Student organizers worked for two weeks to put together the 17-minute memorial and chose to focus on the victims of the attack that took the lives of three teachers and fourteen students between the ages of 14 and 18 one month ago today."

Students at Liberty Middle School also held a 17-minute walkout. West Orange district administrators said that the rally was put together by a student-led safety team that was created after the February 14 tragedy in Parkland. Their message – directed to government officials – was that "enough is enough" and officials must do something to prevent further violence and lost lives due to gun violence.

Around 475, or 91 percent of the school’s students chose to participate in the student-led “peaceful protest," Principal Bob Klemt said.

“Our students acted so responsibly during the 17-minute tribute," he proudly said.

West Orange Schools Superintendent Jeff Rutzky provided Patch with the following statement on Tuesday afternoon:

"I completely support our students who participate in the March 14 walkout. Our goal is to support the students' rights of free expression while ensuring their safety. It is an opportunity to raise awareness and hopefully stop the tragic gun violence that has taken place in schools for far too long. The West Orange Police Department and West Orange Public Schools have formulated a plan that will permit students in grades 6-12 to express their feelings as part of the national student walkout, while respecting other students who prefer to remain inside the schools during the walkout. The students who do not walkout will be in a supervised location within the school. If a student chooses to participate in the walkout and returns when the 17-minute walkout concludes, it will not be considered a cut or absence from class. Elementary students in grades PreK-5 will not participate in the walkout or any form of demonstration."

Rutzky continued:

"When students attend their social studies class, they will have the opportunity to reflect on a prompt that the social studies department created about their experience of the walkout. It is important to tie events such as this into the curriculum so it is truly a learning experience on participatory democracy and the importance of standing up for what you believe."

• See related article: West Orange Students Will Join National Walkout On Gun Violence

West Orange High School Principal Hayden Moore said that he was grateful for the administration's support during the protest.

“Originally we wanted to hold the walkout on the soccer field,” Moore began, “but that wasn’t possible with the snow. Mr. Rutzky and Ron Bligh, our athletic director, were extremely supportive and didn’t hesitate to have Suriano field plowed for the students. And with the large turnout for the walkout, we needed the extra room."

"In 12 years, I haven’t seen this kind of passion in our students," teacher Jennifer Dahl said. "This was so important to the students and it was an honor for me to work with them."

West Orange wasn't the only local school district to see student-led walkouts on Wednesday. In Essex County, student walkouts took place in towns including Montclair, South Orange-Maplewood, Bloomfield, Nutley, Verona, Livingston, Millburn and Newark.

• See related article: School Walkouts In Essex County: Students Against Guns (WATCH)

Here’s what drove the national walkouts, according to organizers:

“We are living in an age where young people like us do not feel safe in our schools. This issue is personal for all of us, especially for those of us who are survivors of gun violence. We are walking out for ALL people who have experienced gun violence, including systemic forms of gun violence that disproportionately impact teens in black and brown communities. It is important that when we refer to gun violence, we do not overlook the impact of police brutality and militarized policing, or see police in schools as a solution. We also recognize the United States has exported gun violence through imperialist foreign policy to destabilize other nations. We raise our voices for action against all these forms of gun violence.”

While many districts have chosen to condone or embrace the protests, some, such as the Sayreville School District, have threatened to suspend participating students.

According to the ACLU of New Jersey, school officials are not allowed to prohibit or censor speech or press activities based on their content, unless it falls within one of two exceptions:

• “It is foreseeable that the speech will cause substantial disruption to the operation of the school”
• “It is too lewd or vulgar for the school audience”

Many parents and community members offered support for the student-led protest online. However, some 2nd Amendment advocates have argued against the students’ main assertion: more gun control laws will help to stop school shootings.

"Unfortunately, [Parkland] will not be the last mass shooting in America, in a school or any other soft target, and no new gun laws will prevent anyone with enough hate in their heart from committing such a crime," the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) stated last month.

“We can certainly do better to improve the existing systems in place and properly enforce gun regulations already on the books,” the group stated.

• See related article: NJ Gun Advocates Say More Laws Won't Stop School Shootings

Are you for or against the student walkouts on March 14? Let us know why. Send a letter to the editor with your full name and town of residence to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photos: West Orange Schools