Superintendent Responds To Natick High School Student Walk Out

NATICK, MA - Students at Natick High School walked out of classes Friday morning in protest against the threat of gun violence in America's schools on the day of the high school's graduation ceremony.

They were responding to last week's shooting of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.

Superintendent Anna Nolin released the following statement Friday morning:

"Natick Public Schools supports students’ Constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and free expression," Nolin said in the statement. "Our goal in responding to walk-out plans and other forms of peaceful assembly is to try and keep the focus on teaching and learning, while providing guidance and planning to support student and staff safety. We’re proud of our Natick High School students for standing up for principles they believe in, a standard taught through our curriculum and training.

"NPS encourages our students to have balanced discussions on all matters, including gun safety and school safety," she continued. "Safety in our schools is a priority, and we recognize the need to ensure students and staff are safe during such demonstrations and while attending school. We’re obviously concerned with the number of violent school events taking place, and NPS trains with its police partners regularly to ensure there’s a unified approach to school safety and security.

Teachers have also been taking action in response to gun violence. On Wednesday morning, Natick teachers participated in the "Day of Mourning, Rage and Action," a statewide event organized by the Massachusetts Teachers Organization to call for an end to gun violence.

About 20 teachers were joined by several students in the event before school, which ended peacefully when classes began. Teachers are planning to do this every Wednesday for 15 minutes before their day contractually begins.