Dear Parents,
I am writing as a follow-up to the email that I sent you on Monday regarding the 17-minute student-organized walkout that some of our middle school students had been planning on doing this morning at 10:00AM. Obviously, with this morning’s two-hour delay and 10:55AM start-time, this demonstration did not occur. That said, several students came into school this morning with flyers announcing that the walkout had been rescheduled for 10:00AM tomorrow, Thursday, March 14. These students subsequently met with me, and I reiterated to them my previous message, most importantly the following points:
- Any student action must be safe, respectful, and non-disruptive.
- Also any student action must be student-led, and all participants must do so of their own choosing.
- The school administration, teachers, and staff will not sanction, organize, or otherwise sponsor a walkout event.
The students them informed me that they planned to leave their classes at 10:00AM tomorrow. Their plan of action remains the same as it was when the demonstration was set for today. They will walk in a loop around their pod hallways in silence for seventeen minutes from 10:00AM to 10:17AM.
Because this plan meets the safety requirements of our board policy and does not disrupt the educational process of any student who does not wish to participate, I maintain my decision that any student wishing to participate in the 17-minute walkout as described here may do so without consequence. I have arranged for staff members who are not teaching classes at 10:00AM to be in the hallways to ensure that students are silent and do not disrupt classes. Students who do not wish to participate in the walkout may remain in classes with their teachers, and the planned lessons will continue.
Once again I want to ask that if you do not want your student to participate in the 17-minute walkout, please have a discussion with them about it before Thursday. If you would like to know whether your child participated in the walkout, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher after the planned demonstration. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Ed Joyce
Principal
