National School Gun Violence Events In Florida On Friday

PINECREST, FL — Two months after the deadly rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, schools across the country plan to walk out, wear orange, rally and urge elected officials to heed student pleas to end gun violence in schools. Dozens of schools will participate in the coordinated event dubbed the “National Day of Action Against Gun Violence in Schools.” Friday also marks the 19th anniversary of the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

Two Columbine students killed 12 students and a teacher before turning the guns on themselves following a shootout with police in that tragedy.

In Florida, four events are planned across the state by The Action Network, including one in Ocala, Jacksonville, Panama City and Tallahassee. Click here to find out which schools and community groups plan to participate in the events. There you can find out details on how you can join them as well.

According to the website, the event is to call for an end to child murders in school.

“No more parents sending a child to school who never comes home,” the site says. “No more teachers, coaches, principals, librarians or any school staff standing between students and a gunman. No more.”

Organizers called on every school community to get involved in a way that “makes sense” for them.

The organization says that those attending their local events should commit to doing so “nonviolently and in accordance with the law.” Participants should also try to de-escalate confrontations and abide by the orders of authorized event marshals and law enforcement officials.

A Change.org petition with more than 256,000 signatures calls for a National School Walkout the same day. Many more Florida schools are participating in these walkouts. Click here to find school walkouts near you.

"Together, we will send a message that we won’t tolerate any more inaction on this issue," the petition says.

Seventeen people were slaughtered by a gunman armed with an AR-15 rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day.

The event follows the nationwide ENOUGH National School Walkout on March 14 and the March for Our Lives event on March 24. It also follows a school shooting in Maryland on March 20, in which a 16-year-old girl was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend.The Network for Public Education and the National Education Association are supporting the National Day of Action Against Gun Violence in Schools. On its website, the NPA, based in Kew Gardens, New York, says the significance of the date for those focused on ending gun violence “outweighs any pre-existing associations to that date.”

The group suggests participants wear orange that day, and issued recommendations for all levels of schools on how best to handle the day.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
“Talk about what students should do if they hear others talk about guns or other unsafe activities. Sandy Hook Promise is an excellent source for suggestions. Ask students to write notes to their legislators about the need to keep their schools safe. Wear orange that day to show support for peaceful schools. Let the local press know what you are doing.”

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOLS
“Encourage all to wear orange. Organize a sit-in. Plan an on-site walk out during which students move to a gymnasium for an assembly or presentation. Include a moment of silence and/or reading of victim names. Have students write letters to policymakers about the need to keep our schools safe. Host a walk-in, where community members and policymakers are invited on-campus for a student-led event. Invite and inform the press.”

BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL (OR IF YOUR SCHOOL IS CLOSED)
“Wearing orange, parents, educators, students, and community members encircle the school in locked arms, symbolic of protection. Read the victims’ names or observe silence. March to or schedule a meeting at a local legislator’s office. Deliver letters that ask for changes to gun laws as well as increases in funding for school-based mental health services. Arrange a press conference with student and teacher speakers.”ON YOUR OWN

“Hand deliver your letter that asks for improved gun control laws in your state to the office of your local representatives. Call your member of Congress and discuss what you believe should be done to reduce gun violence in schools. Wear orange that day.”

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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