Admissions offers - policy on disciplinary action for high school protest?

Applying to College
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I don’t think there’s an adult in the country who doesn’t want this madness to stop. Too many of us have gone to student funerals time and time again. I’ve lost kids to cancer, to suicide, to a crash into a tree and a crash into a train. I’ve lost kids to leukemia and to I’m not sure what during a routine surgery. And to a plane crash. And to too many other causes over the years to remember.

And every single one has torn my heart into tiny pieces.

Please believe that every single time there’s a story like this, it hits your teachers and school administration right in the gut. They lose sleep over the idea that next time, it could be them. And there’s not a thing in the world they can really do to prevent someone from forcibly entering their schools with the intention of doing harm. Know that every single time one of these horrible events occur, your teachers take a look at every single classroom, and try to figure out how we would keep our kids safe if the unthinkable were to occur. It’s what we talk about during our free periods, and it’s what we discuss with our spouses at night, after the kids are in bed/

But to be honest, I think there are better ways of ending it than having students walk out of class. I understand the need to do something, anything. But I can’t believe that having tens of thousands of high school kids miss 3rd period will change a thing.

Want to effect change? Fine. Then the next time there’s a lockdown drill, take it seriously. TURN YOUR PHONE OFF. Try to get out of sight and stay there-- minus the whispers and giggles. The next time there’s a fire drill, maintain absolute silence until you’re back in the classroom. Keep an eye on your classmates; let guidance know if there’s anyone who seems to be crying out for help. For the love of God, be kind to your classmates… the cyber/phone bullying has gotten completely out of control There are kids in your school who are marginalized, who aren’t part of the class simply because they’re not like you. Be kind to them, sincerely, and accept those differences-- even though it’s a lot cooler to laugh at them. Keep an eye on your classmates, and be willing to be “the snitch” who warns guidance or security when something’s not right.

And if you believe in the power or prayer, pray. Pray for the next teen who is marginalized and making plans to kill more innocent victims, and pray for those who may be in his way.

The day after your 18th birthday, register to vote and get an absentee ballot for when you’re away at school. Vote for candidates who will take your hard earned money and put some of it into mental health programs, particularly those aimed at teens and young kids. If you want our nation to be serious about stopping the senseless killing of our youth, be willing to put your money-- and your vote-- where your mouth is.

ETA… And, on the subject of saving lives: please don’t be cavalier about driving. A local kid died a few days ago upstate in an auto accident; he fell asleep at the wheel. Driving accidents kill far more teens than school shootings every year; they’re common enough that they don’t even make the news.

And go to class on the 14th, or don’t. But don’t expect your attendance in class that day to be the thing that effects change. If it were that easy, the problem would have been solved after Columbine or Sandy Hook or any of the other tragic episodes.

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@Veryapparent Awesome! My friends and I are trying to get support from the school right now. One thing that has been bugging me is that some fellow students have had a negative reaction to it. A group of kids is planning to go to the shooting range during this time. It’s kind of upsetting because first and foremost the point of the walk-out is to honor the 17 victims who passed away and to have a respectful discussion about the issues surrounding guns. It just upsets me that some people are so set in their beliefs that they disrespect victims of a tragedy and are not even willing to listen. Honestly, this shouldn’t be viewed as a partisan thing. 17 people died, it’s not a joke, ya know? Every school should participate in the walkout for those 17 people who passed. If a school is against the walk-out or punishes a student for participating in it, then shame on them. Although I care about the politics surrounding this issue, I think that the walk-out is about more than that. @bjkmom

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I don’t think anyone expects that the walkout alone will effect change. But they are trying to send a clear message the the current methods-lockdowns and prayers, etc, are clearly not working and more needs to be done now.

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@sciencenerd123 You’re not going to win over all minds and hearts so don’t waste your energy trying. Focus on the positives and pushing forth the message you wish to put forth. Any time spent thinking about those types who want to go to the shooting range is wasted time taken away from doing something meaningful and positive. That’s what they want. Don’t give it to them.

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@bjkmom I agree on all the excellent suggestions you’ve outlined about things students can and should do. However, these students speaking up is causing change. We’ve seen it in the past week. And it will also spearhead change that will continue in students involved and caring about issues beyond what is happening this weekend and being engaged in politics. It bodes well for the future, IMO, and is worth a missed class or two.

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@bjkmom @doschicos Students protested during the Civil Rights Movement, students protested against the Vietnam war, students protested during the feminist movement. I don’t think this walkout will change much. Like I said, I mostly view it as a way to honor the victims, but I honestly believe that this is the start of a movement. Student activism against gun violence will be discussed in future history books. And I want to be a part of it.

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@sciencenerd Wow that is so disappointing about those students. When it comes down to the nitty gritty pretty much everyone wants the same thing…this insanity to stop. People have different ways of thinking that should be done. That’s where the problem lies. We are so divided as a country we are paralyzed. My D feels so helpless because she can’t vote yet. But she will be able to soon. So It’s about making a statement. Maybe your generation will do what mine seems to have failed at. Good luck. My heart will be with all of you that day wherever you are…

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i emailed grinnell admissions to ask about their policy regarding potentially receiving disciplinary action for (peacefully) participating in walkouts and if receiving disciplinary action will affect applicants’ offers of enrollment. i’ll update when i receive a response.

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I can already tell you with 99.9999% certainty that Grinnell won’t penalize you, @kalons .

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Make that 100% :slight_smile:

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@doschicos @MYOS1634 that may be true, but it’s always better to have some definite assurance :slight_smile:

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DD heard from #UVA and #Northeastern that there would not be any penalties for participating in peaceful protests. Had no idea what the issue was about.

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@bjkmom 100% agree. Nothing will be changed because a bunch of kids skip school. It is possible to honor the students who were killed without skipping school.

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@grandscheme Yeah…missing a whole 17 minutes of school is really going to disrupt my education…

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It has already changed things. Throughout history, walkouts and marches have been a form of peaceful protest, as are sit ins, lie ins, boycotts. They are a very powerful tool of democracy and citizenship engagement, think if Gandhi’s salt march or Selma. They start conversations, call attention to issues, and make sure the issue isn’t forgotten.
And in this case, the student marches have made the status quo and the shrugs impossible. This movement has already changed things in ways many adults thought impossible.

Honoring the dead seems such a no-brainer to me that I thought there’d be a national hour of mourning when the names of the 17 victims would be read and honored with the one minute of silence or prayer each, in all schools across the nation.
Perhaps we should have done that after Columbine, or after Sandy Hook, but it’s not too late to start.
I don’t think anyone is pro school shooting and these 17 minutes are just that - honoring the dead and stating with your standing body that you want better protection for children in schools, that school shootings are unacceptable.

All in all, though, even if you think it won’t change anything, I don’t see a downside to standing with your school to honor the 17 Parkland victims. You can send that message by standing for 17 minutes. It’s not a big sacrifice in time or effort and seeing large crowds across the country standing with them in empathy may help the survivors and all the parents.

Colleges have now made it clear that they respect the students’ right to stand for 17mn in memory of the Parkland victims, to march to show what they believe in, and won’t penalize them even if high schools do.

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^ 100% agree with all of that.

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There does seem to be the beginning of a change as companies drop any affiliation with gun groups and insurers decline to write new policies. So maybe the kids will have an impact, and kudos to them for trying. I am so proud of them.

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Not to get too political, but I think the activism of students from Parkland has been at the root of the rising list of corporations who have withdrawn support for the NRA in the last couple of days in that the boycott followed public statements made by the NRA in response to public appearances by some of the more vocal survivors.

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I don’t think you’re being political. These kids don’t want to go back to school and be hunted in their corridors nor do they want to huddle in closets, they don’t want that to happen to their little brothers and sisters, they don’t want that for anyone else, and based on our inaction these past 20 years they know that if they don’t speak up and do something, other kids will get shot at and killed like what happened to them. And all the other students know that it could have been them, and it could be them tomorrow, or next week, or their little brother or their little sister. It may have political impacts for adults but for the kids it’s personal.
(And, yes, the personal is political, but it didn’t start because of politics, it started when these upper middle class kids in a top suburban Florida school were shot at with an assault riffle.)

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Rather than discipline, many schools are using it as a teaching moment- there are so many analogies to the founding fathers and lessons in constitutional rights and limits. It is a great opportunity for real life lessons in history, civics, etc.