Students will be walking out of schools across Connecticut Wednesday to express their concerns about gun violence. School districts around the state have been responding to the effort in different ways.
Organizing efforts began after the shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. It’s supposed to happen at 10:00 am and last 17 minutes — one minute for each person who died.
In many Connecticut districts — such as Hartford, New Britain, Simsbury, and Glastonbury — students will be allowed to walk out out of school without getting into trouble. That’s as long as they meet certain conditions, like staying on school property and returning by a certain time.
Other districts are offering alternative ways to participate. Manchester and Fairfield are holding an event at 7 in the morning, to avoid class disruption. Moments of silence and voter registration efforts have also been floated as alternatives to walking out. Some districts, like Wallingford, are planning to discipline students who walk out of class.
The movement has galvanized around the hashtag, #Enough, and is asking for gun violence to be declared a public health crisis. Tougher gun laws is also a demand.