Waukesha Schools Clarify Parkland Walkout Statement

WAUKESHA, WI — A school district in Wisconsin has clarified its statement regarding its students' participation in a national school walkout organized to honor the 17 students who were shot and killed at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

"We acknowledge that individuals have a right to demonstrate to support a cause. Therefore, if parents wish to excuse their children from school to attend such an event or demonstration, that is their right. However, students not excused must stay in school," Waukesha School District Superintendent Todd Gray said midday Wednesday. "The district will follow the established attendance procedures to address unexcused absences from school. Further, if students disrupt the learning environment for others, they will be addressed through our discipline policies, as we expect that our students are learning in a safe, disruption free environment.

Earlier this week, the Waukesha School District Superintendent Todd Gray sent a letter home to parents and students making parents aware of the district's policy, which prohibits the use of the district's name to promote an activity that is against school rules.

"It has come to our attention that one or more individuals are hosting and/or promoting an event, National School Walkout on March 14, 2018 through the Womensmarch.com and Facebook, advertising that the 'School District of Waukesha' or 'Waukesha Area Schools' are participating or involved, the letter states."

Gray issued a statement on Wednesday, stating that participating in the walkout is a political activity, which is not supported under district policy.

“This is not at all about students. At no time have we said students cannot make a statement peacefully while staying in school," the statement said. "This is about an outside organizer, not a Waukesha student-initiated event. No student or student organization has come forth to request participation. This is all promoted by non-district adults, without permission to use the district’s names or property."

Grassroots Campaign

There are multiple national marches and demonstrations that have been planned by organizers in response to the Parkland, Florida school shooting. The March for Our Lives is scheduled for March 24. The Women’s March’s Youth EMPOWER group planned a march for March 14 at 10 a.m. That march is the one that is currently at issue in Waukesha.

"Today I'd like to announce that we have an event coming up to have everybody in the nation talk about what we're talking about," student Cameron Kasky told Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday. "One of the things that we've been hearing is that it's not the time yet to talk about gun control, and we respect that. We've lost 17 lives and our community took 17 bullets to the heart. And it's difficult to come back from that."

Kasky was a survivor of that shooting, and encouraged viewers to go to MarchForOurLives.com for details of the event.

The letter continues, stating that students who participate in the event are subject to disciplinary measures — but does not stipulate what those measures are.

"... Participation in a walkout is disruptive and against school regulations, and will subject students to disciplinary measures," the letter said.

Cease And Desist

Despite the district's claims that the student walkout was initiated by an organizer, the mom who's heading up the effort, Tahra Loy, says she's a Waukesha mother with a 6-year-old, 9-year-old and a 17-year-old enrolled in the district, and also a small business owner in town. Loy told Waukesha Patch that she tried organizing the 17-minute school walkout by reaching out to state legislators, area schools, parent-teacher organizations, local law enforcement, neighborhood groups and the media.

She had been getting some lukewarm responses in the admittedly "highly conservative" area, but said the Waukesha School District slapped her with something even she didn't expect: an official cease and desist letter.

"It has come to our attention that you are hosting and/or promoting an event, Waukesha Schools — National School Walkout on March 14, 2018 through the Womensmarch.com and Facebook. We ask you to immediately cease and desist from using our district name or referring to our district for your event. We also request that you remove this immediately from any other organization’s website or other social media connected to this event," the letter stated.

Loy said she was stunned.

"Why aren’t we including our teenagers in the solution?" Loy said. "Many will be of voting age this year. If high school students choose to use a nonviolent and respectful form of protest such as leaving their classrooms for 17 minutes out of one school day, why is that so terrible? Those kids participating may end up being the ones who stop the next mass shooting from happening. None of the young adults I’ve spoken to take this issue lightly, or as an excuse to disrupt the school day and 'skip' class."

Waukesha Patch has reached out to districts in neighboring communities for their responses regarding the school walkout. Waukesha Patch will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.

People attend a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Nikolas Cruz, a former student, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder on Thursday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)