Schools
Texas Quiet On National Walk Out Day
With more than 2 million Texas students are on spring break, the national school walkouts didn't happen in the Lone Star state.
HOUSTON, TX — While thousands of students across the nation walked out of school Wednesday in a movement to protest gun violence and lobby lawmakers, Texas sat mostly quiet. That's because at least 2 million students are on Spring Break this week — this includes the top 20 school districts in the state, by enrollment.
It's coincidence more than anything. Most Texas school districts and colleges usually schedule their Spring Breaks every year during the second full week of March. Wednesday is significant because it marks the one-month mark of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Parts of the state that posted planned walkouts on Wednesday were rather nondescript, even nonexistent in some places. Despite scheduled Spring Break, there were planned "Walk Out Gatherings" at areas around the state, including three in the Greater Houston area.
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Patch Houston-Area Editor Bryan Kirk visited Tomball Memorial High School at 10 a.m. Wednesday for one of the three protests, and no one showed up.
"I hadn't heard anything," said Andrew Perez, a senior at Tomball Memorial High School. "I just thought they were not going to come to school, or something like that but I have not heard anything else about this."
Find out what's happening in Houston Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Perez said even if he'd known about the protest, he wouldn't have attended.
"I'm not into confrontational-type stuff, I just kind of stay on my own tye of thing," he said.
Houston ISD is the largest school district in the state with 215,225 students, and HISD was on Spring Break. So were the other top 20 districts in the state. The top 20 districts represent 1.6 million students. Here are the top 10 districts in the state, by enrollment:
- Houston — 215,225
- Dallas ISD — 160,253
- Cy Fair — 113,023
- Northside (San Antonio) — 103,606
- Fort Worth — 85,975
- Austin — 84,564
- Fort Bend — 72,152
- Katy — 70,330
- Aldine — 69,716
- North East (San Antonio) — 67,971
There were some who showed up to protest Wednesday, including those shown in a tweet by former governor candidate Wendy Davis.
So proud of students in Texas and across the country who are #risingup against #gunviolence through participation in #NationalWalkoutDay. YOU are the Changemakers we need & I believe in your ability to achieve the goal of safer communities #enough https://t.co/KnMDdSoLRI
— Wendy Davis (@wendydavis) March 14, 2018
Houston organizers even encouraged those who were at home or work to walk out in solidarity with students across the nation.
And, of course, things can get political on social media.
Is it a coincidence that they scheduled this ridiculous #nationalwalkoutday during spring break in Texas? I think NOT! Imagine the landslide of ass whoopings for those that participated. Educate and Parent Better America!
— tobynunn (@tobynunn) March 14, 2018
Disgusting that media is giving the #NationalWalkoutDay so much coverage. More coverage than they gave to the men who stopped the mass shooting in Texas using an AR-15. More coverage then they gave to the millions of defensive gun uses each year. No agenda there at all!
— Jeff H (@politicswarblog) March 14, 2018
School resumes March 19 for most of the state.
(Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images)
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