Thousands of students in First Coast schools walked out of class Wednesday morning, braving cold, windy temperatures, but little official opposition, to show solidarity with victims of the fatal shooting at a Parkland high school last month.
Some students said they wanted to express fears about violence at school. Others protested actions taken and not taken by state and national leaders on gun control, while others said they’re avoiding politics and just sharing the grief, our Florida Times-Union news partner reported.
“I want those kids parents and friends to know that we really are deeply sorry for their loss,” said Aniyiah Brooks, an Englewood High sophomore, referring to the community at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a former student shot and killed 17 students and school staff on Valentine’s Day.
“We want to honor them and we want to make sure our school stays a safe environment,” Brooks said. “We need to work together for that as a community. We have to make what we say matter, even though we’re students.”
First Coast students gathered in short demonstrations or walkouts, often with some guidance from schools, which told them to hold demonstrations on campus grounds. Many wore maroon and silver, the Parkland high school colors, while others wore orange.
At a couple of Duval County schools students wrote their feelings on cloths or ribbons that they placed on or around banners and tied onto school fences. At other schools students were given time, laptops and materials to write to elected officials.
At Asa Philip Randolph students had conversations and readings on picnic tables and benches where 17 bricks were dedicated to each Parkland shooting victim. Ed White High held a “mannequin challenge,” with students freezing in place commemorated lives interrupted.
Mandarin High created “paper hugs” for the Parkland students and Atlantic Coast students wore black shirts andd read poems and short biographies of the victims. At Fort Caroline Middle, students watched videos about the victims.
At Englewood High, where the news media were directed, more than half the 1,860 students filled bleachers on the football field and launched 17 silver balloons with the names and ages of each student or school staff member killed on Valentine’s Day.
For some students it was a solemn show of solidarity, but for others it was a protest of their anger.
“It’s not right. We shouldn’t have to be scared to go to school,” said Trinity Theriault, a junior. “I want to be a nurse some day and I want to go on to higher education. But I don’t want to go on to school and be scared there might be a shooter on campus. We need better laws, better security.”
Carol Dahi, a senior, said that although students chose not to carry signs, many hope elected officials hear the message that they want more gun control and are unhappy with plans to arm teachers or other school staff.
You can read a longer version of this story and see additional photos at jacksonville.com.
