West Orange Students Will Join National Walkout On Gun Violence

WEST ORANGE, NJ — It’s round 2 for students against gun violence in West Orange.

On Wednesday, March 14, students at West Orange High School will be participating in the #ENOUGH national school walkout to denounce gun violence, district administrators confirmed.

The rallies are being organized on a grassroots student level, according to Women's March Youth Empower, a faction of the group that spearheaded the "Women's March" on Jan. 21, 2017. Organizers selected March 14 as the rally date because it’s the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. (Learn more about the rally here)

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.”

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Some West Orange students held an unrelated walkout in February to show their support for the Parkland victims. Those students won't be disciplined for the protest either, Rutzky previously said.

• See related article: West Orange Students Hold School Walkout For Parkland Victims

School administrators in the South Orange-Maplewood District have also embraced the March 14 walkout, with officials pledging that students who choose to participate in the event "will not be marked absent or disciplined."

• See related article: SOMA Students Can Join Protest Against Gun Violence, Officials Say

Students at Livingston High School are also reportedly planning to participate in the walkout. That protest is slated to take place around 10 a.m., a report said.

• See related article: Livingston Students Plan School Walkout On Gun Violence, Report Says

Will participating in the protests dog students when it comes time for college admissions? Not if they plan to attend Montclair State University or Caldwell University, both of which have pledged not to penalize peacefully protesting students.

• See related article: Caldwell University Won't Penalize Protesting HS Students
• See related article: Montclair State Won't Penalize 'Peacefully Protesting' Students

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