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National School Walkout —because Safe Routes to School aren’t just about infrastructure improvements

As Safe Routes to School, Bicycling Monterey, and many other bike advocates emphasize: Safe Routes is about more than infrastructure improvements!

Short link to this post: http://bit.ly/WalkOutGunReform

Related post:  March 24 March for Our Lives – Monterey.

http://www.instagram.com/p/BhzbCg4nz57/

For more Monterey County participation, see “Monterey Peninsula students participate in National School Walkout day on anniversary of Columbine shooting,” by James Herrera in the Monterey County Herald, 4/20/18.

 

Friday, April 20, 2018

National School Walkout

Begins at 10 a.m. (in your time zone)*

“Run by students for students,” with a focus on high school-aged students

*“Starting at 10 a.m. students will gather outside, where 17 minutes of silence will honor the victims in Florida. After that an open mic will commence where students can have their voices heard. This is a time for listening. After that the schedule is up to you and your school.” Visit website for more info and ideas.

Website: http://nationalschoolwalkout.us

Walkout planning guide: http://www.nationalschoolwalkout.net/table-of-contents/

Find a walkout near you (e.g., registered walkouts include Carmel, Monterey, Salinas, and elsewhere): http://act.indivisible.org/event/national-school-walkout/

(Note: As of 4/16/18, typing the name of the Monterey County seat, “Salinas,” or Monterey County city “Carmel” in search window showed no registered events. However, typing “Monterey” in search window showed Harden Middle School in Salinas and Carmel High School in Carmel, CA.)

National School Walkout on Twitter: http://twitter.com/schoolwalkoutUS

 

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(Below are some miscellaneous resources along with archived information from related March 2018 activities.)

March 14, March 24, April 20: National School Walkout, March for Our Lives — Gun reform actions, because Safe Routes aren’t just about better infrastructure!

 For archived info on the National School Walkout and March for Our Lives events on March 14 and March 24, scroll down.

Also below are some of many Monterey County affiliate/solidarity events.

Scroll down for some Monterey County school district policies about the walkouts.

Monterey County high school students planning March 14th 10:00-10:17 a.m. school walkouts or other activities in solidarity with their peers nationwide include, but are not limited to:

As the Soledad High ASB tweet below reminds, people who want to dress in solidarity on March 14th are encouraged to wear orange.
Note from the Women’s March Youth website” “We are suggesting that only students and staff participate in their school walkouts. This is an important safety precaution we must take in order to help ensure the safety of students and staff.  If others would like to participate, they can show solidarity by wearing orange and/or walking out of their workplaces to stand with others for 17 minutes.” http://www.teenvogue.com/story/national-school-walkout-wear-orange

Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy Kotowski told KSBW reporter Felix Cortez (“Central Coast students planning walkout over gun violence,” 2/20/18): “Our schools need to be safe havens for all of our children. The gun violence that’s occurring, it must come to an end. I think the seventeen minutes to make that statement is certainly something within the realm of our schools to participate.”

  • “MPUSD [Monterey Peninsula Unified School District] students who choose to leave campus will not be disciplined.” For Pacific Grove Unified School District, “Should a student want to take part in their right to protest they are going to do so on their own free will, and we will take attendance, and they will get an actual consequence.” “Carmel Unified School District said the administration respects the students’ right to protest but those who do will receive an unexcused absence.” http://www.ksbw.com/article/monterey-prepares-for-national-school-walkout-day/19413445
  • “Salinas Union High School students will have opportunities to speak with counselors or share their thoughts on campus at 10 a.m., said Dan Burns, its superintendent. The district doesn’t want any students leaving campus for safety reasons, he said. Anyone leaving will be treated as an unexcused absence in terms of discipline, but leaving won’t equal suspension or expulsion, he said.” http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2018/03/12/salinas-schools-describe-steps-they-take-students-safety/415382002/

Right to peacefully assemble

http://www.loc.gov/law/help/peaceful-assembly/us.php

http://peoplepower.org/studentskyr/

http://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/what-do-if-your-rights-are-violated-demonstration-or-protest

Will participating in these marches impact my future—such as college admissions?

From the West Coast (e.g., Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey / MIIS to the East Coast (e.g., University of Connecticut), many institutions of higher learning have posted statements reassuring high school students that their participation in peaceful protests will not impact applicants’ college admissions.

Register and vote!

Check out http://bit.ly/VoterRegInfo. Voting laws vary in all 50 states of the U.S. The post includes info for residents of California and other states. As it points out, in some states, if you’re 16 or 17 years old, you’re welcome to pre-register to vote. And in some states, 17-year-olds can vote in a primary election if they will be 18 by the general election. So don’t just march, register and vote!

For info about commonsense gun law reform

Start with Newtown Action, Moms Demand, and Everytown.

Okay, on with info about the three dates!

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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

National School Walkout

10:00-10:17 a.m. in your time zone

“Run by the youth of Women’s March”

for students, teachers, and allies

To find a walk near you or add one to the map: http://www.actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/enough-national-school-walkout

Women’s March Youth on Twitter: http://twitter.com/WomensMarchY

In Monterey County:

http://twitter.com/BikeMonterey/status/973662515954556929

 

Saturday, March 24, 2018

March for Our Lives

in Washington, D.C. and across the nation.

“Created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country.”

Mission statement: http://www.marchforourlives.com/mission-statement 

Sign up for updates: http://www.marchforourlives.com/march

March for Our Lives on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AMarch4OurLives

RAIN OR SHINE: March for Our Lives solidarity events on March 24 include March for Our Lives Monterey. See separate post for details: March for Our Lives Monterey.
Want to support Monterey County students in…

 events on March 14, 2018 organized by ; and April 20, 2018, organized by students of  ? You may wish to reach out to Monterey County teachers and others involved in local education. Some are active on Twitter; refer to Bicycling Monterey’s list of 100+: http://twitter.com/BikeMonterey/lists/monterey-county-schools/members.

Many will also be interested in the March 24, 2018 @AMarch4OurLives event.

Related resources on this site

Street Harassment and Other Bullying: Ways to help stop it – resources in Spanish and English

This post was published on 20 April 2018. One or more changes last made to this post on 24 April 2019.

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