North Penn Students Plan Walkout In Call For Stricter Gun Laws

LANSDALE, PA — North Penn high school students are planning a walkout in March to protest recent gun violence in schools and to call for stricter laws, and the school district has issued an action plan for the event in response.

The walkout, set to coordinate with the National School Walkout day on March 14, currently has more than 100 RSVPs, and could grow as the social media campaign gains traction.

Hundreds of similar walkouts have either taken place or been planned in the wake of the most recent massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. All told, 17 students, teachers, and coaches were killed and numerous people were injured in the Valentine's Day incident.

The school district said that students will be excused for the 17 minutes which they are absent from class, at 10 a.m. on March 14. The 17 minutes are in remembrance of the 17 lives lost in Parkland.

It's not yet clear if teachers or administration will participate in the walkout. School officials said that because all students will not want to participate in the walkout, classroom instruction will continue "when possible."

"We appreciate the fact that they (student organizers) are working with administration so that the walkout can occur in a safe and orderly manner," Curtis Dietrich, North Penn Superintendent, said in a statement.

The high school campus will be closed to visitors during the walkout. The closure will be in place from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The national campaign does not point to specific legislation, characterizing their stance only as "meaningful federal gun reform," but does demand "more than tweets of thoughts and prayers" as a response.

North Penn students are also planning an open forum after school on March 14 to meet with district administration and other guests to discuss concerns and ideas regarding student safety.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci