Some schools went to great lengths to take action to prevent students from speaking out against gun violence on Wednesday.
Among the worst of the shameless displays we witnessed across the countries is Copiague High School, which according to students chose to suspend kids for taking a stand against the GOP and their NRA puppetmasters:
A student from Copiague High School sent me this. To everyone else who was punished today for walking out, you have my respect. If you were suspended today because you walked out, dm me the name of your high school. pic.twitter.com/hkPeY79QyU
— Sarah Chadwick// #NEVERAGAIN (@Sarahchadwickk) March 14, 2018
Other students shared their experiences getting punished for exercising their right to demand to be safe from assault rifles while studying:
my school made us do a tornado drill the whole time & all the kids who walked out got in trouble
— bella livingston (@bellalivingst0n) March 14, 2018
Catoosa HS held a tornado drill at 10 on 3/14/18 then right after had a fire drill till 10:17 to stop the students walk out, walk out at 1
— Kiara Waddell (@KiaraWaddell6) March 14, 2018
Shame on the administrators from #Copiague High School in New York who held a Tornado drill and essentially locked the students in the building forbidding them to protest. #NationalWalkoutDay #StandwithParkland
— Ashley Crary (@ashcrary) March 14, 2018
The kids at mercer county, aledo IL were told suspension, drop in grade pt and kicked out of Honor Society. I was enraged, I blv they negotiated down to a program in the gym. Still think it stinks! My 76 yr old mother was going to gobthwre and protest at the school🙏💜
— Kim Johnson (@KimJohn68664868) March 14, 2018
The kids at mercer county, aledo IL were told suspension, drop in grade pt and kicked out of Honor Society. I was enraged, I blv they negotiated down to a program in the gym. Still think it stinks! My 76 yr old mother was going to gobthwre and protest at the school🙏💜
— Kim Johnson (@KimJohn68664868) March 14, 2018
Despite being threatened with being kicked off of sports teams, honor societies/programs and further punishment, almost 300 Walton High School students walked out today. We honored the MSD victims and called our reps, demanding for a change. #NationalWalkoutDay #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/rDlgpsfDJx
— kaiya rianon (@coIorfuIminds) March 14, 2018
Germantown High School in Wisconsin had police standing at all the doors so no one could leave
— M🌹 (@IWishIRelated) March 14, 2018
Pennridge HS. Perkasie, Pennsylvania. Over 230 students given a Saturday morning detention.
— Sean Jenkins (@Sean_Jenk) March 14, 2018
There is a school in Atlanta who banned #NationalWalkoutDay so the students took a knee instead. Booker T. Washington High School
— Deanna Cook (@Sighthoundgrace) March 14, 2018
Valparaiso High School. I believe there are nearly 400 students receiving detentions for walking out. We made a plan for those who couldn’t to stand up in their classroom and they were threatened with detentions as well. Classwork is also being denied to many students.
— Tarin (@tarmander316) March 14, 2018
Chesterton High School. Superintendent sent out a letter last week supporting the students’ 1st amendment rights. No mention of discipline. After the vigil was over, they announced they decided to discipline.
— Michelle (@varin) March 14, 2018
We had 10 seconds of silence for every victim. Then a bunch of kids were mad so they actually walked out of school without anything behind them with signs. The principal, Ms. Dukes got so mad that she actually suspended those kids.
— CristoMejia© (@CristoMejiaAHS) March 14, 2018
Daleville Highschool in Indiana . we were threatened with expulsion but we got detention instead and an essay
— enough is enough (@voculseokjin) March 14, 2018
We made poster boards to send to Florida but most of us wanted to do more. We wanted to walk out, but were threatened with suspension. They had every security guard blocking our exits so we couldn’t leave.
— Karisma Alston (@Livingtobeme63) March 14, 2018
My school, Harper Park, is punishing kids for doing it
— caitlin (@ceightlynne) March 14, 2018
not me personally but friends at wallingford high and southbury high (both in ct) got suspensions
— zoe (@zoeeoneil) March 14, 2018
Winter Park High School. Teachers and administrators stood outside all the doors of all the hallways in the school to make sure nobody walked out and said if we left campus we would get a referral or get suspended for skipping and not following their rules
— Sadie (@sadiebby0303) March 14, 2018
My daughter’s school held a pep rally today so that everyone was shut in the same room and couldn’t do the walk out. Total BS.
— MJCBarnes (@mjcbarnes) March 14, 2018
Not my whole school district but Brandon Middle school in @vbschools punished Half of the kids but giving them detentions,and referrals
— GG (@pandagianaa) March 14, 2018
Bloomsburg High School, Bloomsburg, PA. In school suspension for leaving classroom, 2 in school suspensions for leaving building. Police were waiting outside to escort students back in. Principal wanted a moment of silence. Political activity is not allowed.
— Leslie 🇱🇷 #BoycottNRA🚫 (@LShaffer50) March 14, 2018
Just to be clear — around the nation, schools are showing more concern for perceived embarrassment if students speak out than they are for the safety of those students.
Kudos to the kids who stood up to gun violence on Wednesday. People keep saying that they are going to “change the conversation” but they already have. School officials who did not support these kids taking a stand should be ashamed — but they won’t be on their own, so it’s up to us to do the shaming until they feel it!
Image via screengrab