Pittsburgh Public Schools Plan Student Walkout Activities

PITTSBURGH, PA - Pittsburgh Public Schools students are marking Wednesday’s National School Walkout in a variety of ways.

The walkouts will last 17 minutes to honor the 17 people killed last month in the Parkland, Florida school shootings. Spurred by survivors of the shooting, the walkout is part of a larger effort to get stricter federal gun control legislation enacted.

Specifically, Empower, the youth branch of the Women’s March that is organizing the event, wants Congress to:

• Ban assault weapons
• Require universal background checks before gun sales
• Pass a gun violence restraining order law that would allow courts to disarm people who display warning signs of violent behavior.

Here’s how the event is being handled at several Pittsburgh Public Schools:

• Taylor Allderdice High School: Students will walk out to designated area of the campus.

• Greenfield Elementary-Middle School: Students will walk out to the school’s parking lot (grades 6-8 only).

• Brashear High School: A silent demonstration will occur in the auditorium.

• Brookline PreK-8: Students will walk out to the playground (grades 6-8 only).

• Pittsburgh Obama: Students will walk out to a designated area of the campus.

• Pittsburgh CAPA and Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy: Students will form a human chain around their respective schools. CAPA students also will hold a “walk up” throughout the day. Students and staff are encouraged to walk up to 14 students and three adults throughout the day and say something nice or engage them in an activity in honor of those who died in the shootings.

Photo: Getty Images.