National School Walkout.

Students are walking out of class around the country to draw attention to school shootings.

National+School+Walkout.

Two National School Walkout events have already been held, drawing attention to the hundreds of mass school shootings that have taken place, as well as calling for better gun control nationwide.

In our increasingly polarized country, it’s easy for an issue like this – school shootings, that of life and death – to be in the spotlight. However, no matter what side you’re on, and whether or not you’re for or against gun control, we, the staff, believe that these National School Walkouts are extremely effective.

When coupled with the March for Our Lives event, which took place in cities all over the country on March 24, this movement for better safety in schools has certainly gotten lawmakers’ and the world’s attention.

After all, it should. Although nothing significant has been accomplished by legislators on Capitol Hill or in Lansing, we hope that as a result of these walkouts, they’re paying attention. After all, something has to change.

No one, no matter what their role is, should come into any school and feel unsafe. No one should have to wonder when they walk into school to learn or to work whether their life is at risk, or they’ll have to act as a human body shield for others in the building.

These walkouts are vital to keeping the conversation surrounding these safety issues alive in order to make students feel comfortable expressing their feelings about recent national events, like the shooting in Parkland, Fla.

Similar events, like the sit-in in the cafeteria on April 20, are just as effective as the National School Walkouts. In fact, we believe that because the sit-in took a nonpartisan stance and didn’t adopt an official belief on the solution to school safety, it was even more effective.

This event made a difference, at least in our school, in starting conversations about gun violence that students don’t feel they can have.

However, we realize that nothing besides awareness really comes out of these walkouts. As much as we’d love our leaders to see us being politically active and say, “You know, let’s pass a law on this.” we realize that our government doesn’t quite work that way.

With plenty of awareness surrounding the issues with school safety and gun violence, the walkouts aren’t really necessary.

However, they do allow for the message to be sent to our representatives.

We believe that something has to change with regards to school safety, and the walkouts do a fine job of raising awareness of that and getting the message out to lawmakers.

However, the staff believes that organizers of these marches, especially in our schools, need to do more to get change to happen. Walking out of school won’t force legislators to make any changes, although it may inspire them to do something.

In short, these walkouts are effective – for now. We believe that if we really want change, we have to work harder and figure out how to make it happen.

 

Editorial Board Vote
Are the national school walkouts effective?
yes 5 no 4