National School Walkout at RHS: What You Need To Know
Tune into Ridgefield HamletHub Facebook Page tomorrow at 10:00 am for LIVE coverage of the Ridgefield High School Walkout.
Several months ago, Ridgefield resident and RHS student Lane Murdock launched a National School Walkout movement that quickly became viral.
Murdock’s charge? “On Friday, April 20th, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting I propose a National High School student walk out. Walk out of school, wear orange and protest online and in your communities. Nothing has changed since Columbine, let us start a movement that lets the government know the time for change is now.”
Walkout activities will occur in Tiger Hollow at Ridgefield High School (RHS) on Friday for those students who wish to participate. In a letter to parents, Ridgefield High School Principal, Stacey Gross said that should students choose not to participate, they will proceed as they would in a general school day, with classes being run by the assigned teacher throughout the school day.
For those students who wish participate in the Walkout, The BOE and Acting Superintendent Miller have directed RHS to "work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure that the potential April 20th Walkout is conducted as safely as possible on school grounds [for students who choose to participate] with minimum disruption to student learning."
To ensure safety, the RHS campus will be closed from 9:45 am - 10:45 am and there will be increased Ridgefield Police presence on the school grounds throughout the day.
Gross also informed parents that student leaders have planned an event that will occur on the RHS campus from 10am-2pm and attendance at those events is optional.
A National School Walkout Petition that Murdock began in February on Change.org has garnered 258,987 signatures and since the petition’s launch, National School Walkout Chapters have popped up throughout the country.