Area school districts are preparing for planned student walkouts that will touch campuses across the nation on Wednesday.
One month after a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., students at some high schools in Vancouver and surrounding cities plan to leave class at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes — one minute for each of the victims in last month’s shooting. Some schools are also offering alternatives to students who want to demonstrate but may not wish to leave school, such as letter-writing campaigns or voter registration drives.
“When students advocate appropriately for change, it can be a powerful learning experience,” Vancouver Public Schools principals wrote in letters to parents this week. “We also recognize that some students may not want to participate in a walkout or related activities and may prefer to stay in class. We are committed to ensuring that all students feel safe and respected.”
Evergreen Public Schools Superintendent John Steach told district staff in a campus email this week that the district supports “our students in efforts to stand up for what they believe in.” Still, he added, the district hopes students choose to stay on school property during that time.
“If a student-led walkout does occur in our schools, the top concern is that we maintain a safe and secure learning environment for all and we are putting plans in place to ensure this,” Steach wrote.
That walkout appears likely as two Evergreen High School students are busy organizing a walkout at the east Vancouver campus next week.
Winston Handwerker, a 17-year-old junior, and Jesalynn Prom, a 15-year-old sophomore, are planning a demonstration in the campus parking lot. The pair say their aim is to show elected officials the importance of changing gun laws with student safety in mind.
“We want our schools to be safer and we want shooting at school to be an ‘if it happens,’ not ‘when it happens,’ ” Winston said.
Students will walk out, give speeches and return to class about half an hour later.
“I hope people take away that they actually have a voice and even though they’re young, they can speak up for what they believe in,” Prom said.
Across town at Fort Vancouver High School, 16-year-old juniors Myrainah Blancas and Lindsey Luis are organizing a march from their campus to nearby Meadow Homes Park.
“This is a great way for us to actually be a part of our community, whether it’s a small community or a big community as in the United States,” Blancas said.
The pair hope their demonstration will open conversations among their peers and send a message to politicians about how to end gun violence in schools.
“It should matter to us more than anyone else,” Luis said. “This is our generation being killed.”
Those students who do choose to walk out at Vancouver Public Schools or Evergreen Public Schools will be marked with unexcused absences. That’s a relatively minor infraction, akin to a student skipping class.
“For those with historic good attendance, it will just be a notification to the student and parent,” Kris Fay, a spokesman for Evergreen Public Schools, said by email. “For those with significant attendance issues, there may be some additional actions by the school involving attendance plans, home visits, or truancy referral (all per district handbook).”
At Battle Ground Public Schools, meanwhile, high school students are on a modified schedule Wednesday, where they can visit individual teachers for help on homework or class assignments, district spokeswoman Rita Sanders said. Because attendance is not tracked during that period, students who do choose to walk out of school will not be penalized for that time.
Travis Drake and Mike Hamilton, the Prairie and Battle Ground high school principals, sent a joint letter home to parents this week alerting them of the potential walkout.
“We recognize the event as a powerful moment of civic education and a good lesson in democracy,” they wrote. “While we will not encourage students to participate in the event, we recognize students’ rights to peacefully demonstrate.”
