New Rochelle Prepares For Possible Student Walkout Wednesday

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Should New Rochelle students decide to participate in the 17-minute walkout at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 14 to honor the 17 victims of the school shooting in Parkland, FL, school officials have safety protocols in place. In a letter addressed to families of New Rochelle High School students, Superintendent Brian Osborne and Principal Reginald Richardson said, to ensure safety, students who decide to participate in the walkout will be asked to congregate on the front fields and will not be allowed to leave school grounds.

Those administrators, counselors and teachers not teaching during third period will be supervising the event.

The campus will close to all visitors from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and additional security and police personnel will patrol the periphery of the campus.

Students at the high school discussed the demonstration with administration, and while Osborne and Richardson said they applauded their desire to be a part of the political process, the demonstration was not a sanctioned school event.

“Participating in it is a form of civil disobedience and the standard consequences for missing or leaving class early will apply,” the letter said. Students who miss a class will have the absence recorded as an unexcused absence, and students who arrive to school or class late will be marked late.

“We recognize there will be different opinions about whether students should be allowed to participate in this demonstration. We respect everyone’s opinion and we encourage you to talk with your child about his or her choices for Wednesday,” Osborne and Richardson said.

Photo credit: NRED.org.