National School Walkout: Will You Urge Your Kid To Participate?

Only a week after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, thousands of high school students around the country — including many around the Chicago area and Illinois — walked out of classes to observe a moment of silence for the 17 victims and to call for stronger gun laws. Another national walkout is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 14, a month after the tragic Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and students in Tinley Park, Oak Forest and the Lincoln-Way area will be participating, according to officials from those school districts.

Organized by EMPOWER, a part of the Women's March initiative aimed at young people, the upcoming national walkout will be similar to last month's demonstration and last 17 minutes to honor the Parkland victims. More than 2,500 events are planned at schools around the country, according to the group's website.

Students and administrators at the individual schools for Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 and Bremen Community High School District 228 have been working out details for Wednesday's event, representatives from both school systems said. But this walkout will be different from some of the other national events, as well as last month's protest, which saw students from schools in the northern Chicago suburbs such as Schaumburg and Elk Grove Village participate.

Taryn Atwell, a spokeswoman for District 210, said that instead of walking outside, students at Lincoln-Way East, Central and West high schools will be observing the 17 minutes inside the buildings.

RELATED: Schaumburg High Students Walk Out For Stronger Gun Laws

"We believe that students have a right to express their opinions and peacefully protest, and our goal is to provide them with a safe environment," District 210 Superintendent Scott Tingley wrote in a letter to faculty. "For the safety of the students, building administrators have been meeting with student organizers in an effort to keep all protests inside of the buildings."

Many of Wednesday's national protests will be focusing on stricter gun laws, but Lori DeVos, a spokesman for District 228, stressed that demonstrations at Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Hillcrest and Bremen high schools will not be politically motivated. Instead, they will focusing on honoring the memory of the victims of the Feb. 14 shooting. She also said that the normal school rules would apply during the events.

While national organizers have encouraged teachers and school staffers to join students during the 17 minutes, District 210 faculty and administrators have been told to stay impartial when it comes to the event.

"I ask that faculty remain neutral during this time; staff should not promote nor condone the student effort," Tingley wrote in a letter to staffers.

The walkout Wednesday isn't the only national event planned this month as a response to the Parkland shooting. March for Our Lives will host rallies Saturday, March 24, around the country, including Chicago's Grant Park. Go to the demonstration's website and Facebook page for more information.

YOUR TURN: But what do parents with students attending these schools think about the walkout? Patch wants to know what you think about these events. Have you talked to your child about it, and if so how? Will you encourage your student to participate? And if the school wasn't sanctioning the demonstration, would that change your response? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

Tinley Park High School (Photo via Patch archive)