More metro Atlanta school walkouts planned, some districts threaten disciplinary action
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Metro Atlanta school districts are preparing for students to walk out of class on Friday as a protest to demand action on gun violence.
A social media campaign has gained traction with plans for a walkout to stand in solidarity with the students and staff at Apalachee High School and push for legislative change.
However, school districts have warned students that they could face consequences depending on how they speak out.
Cobb County School District officials said they had been made aware of national and local social media campaigns calling on students to walk out of school.
The district said it supports students expressing themselves without disrupting school.
"Anyone who disrupts the classroom, school events, or any normal school process will be disciplined according to district policy. Consequences for students who participate will follow the Cobb County School District Student Code of Conduct and will, at a minimum, be suspended," the district wrote in a release. "Additionally, participating in disruptions to school could impact a student's ability to participate in sports and other extracurriculars."
The release continued to say there are other ways schools across the district are reflecting and processing the deadly school shooting in Barrow County. Some principals are offering students a moment of silence and reflection, time to journal their thoughts, and encouraging them to write to lawmakers with their concerns and ideas.
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Gwinnett County Public Schools also sent a notice about the walkout. The district said it is aware some students are planning to participate in the walkouts in a show of support for the Apalachee High School community and raise awareness for gun safety. School administrators met with students in the district to talk about how they can take a stand safely.
"We have emphasized that while students may exercise their rights, any actions that cause disruptions to the school day will result in appropriate disciplinary action, as would be the case on any other day," Gwinnett school officials wrote.
The school walkouts began on Thursday when students at Atlanta's Morgan Oliver School organized a citywide school protest at the Georgia Capitol Building.
The school shooting at Apalachee High School marked the 30th mass killing in the U.S. so far this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. At least 127 people have died in those killings.
In response to the shooting, Georgia Republicans have proposed new policies to foster student mental health and detect guns in schools, but have stopped short of demands from their Democratic counterparts to strengthen laws that would require background checks or let the state temporarily take guns from someone in a crisis.