TOPSHAM
Add students from Maine School Administrative District 75 to those among the Midcoast who have the support of officials in taking part in a national walkout on Wednesday.
MSAD 75 Superintendent Brad Smith sent out a letter to parents Friday indicating middle and high school students are planning to participate, and saying students who do so will not be penalized for leaving class.
“We plan to respect the desire of those students who choose to voice their concerns about the safety of schools,” Smith said in the letter. “This activity will be student-led, and we will not impose consequences on the students who participate provided that students comply with our expectations of responsible and respectful behavior.”
The national action, organized by the group Enough, involves students walking out of class at 10 a.m. Wednesday in an effort to lobby Congress to enact stricter gun laws. The walkout is in response the mass shooting a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead.
Smith noted that some students will choose not to participate in the walkout, and said the school district wants to create a safe environment for the opinions of all students. The letter acknowledges the differing opinions on school safety not only within the schools, but also in the community.
“We may have different opinions on how to best accomplish this, we are all in agreement that school should be a place where students should never have to worry about safety,” Smith said. “There will not be any single action that can accomplish that.
“Those are complex issues facing schools across the country,” he added. “We recognize that families who live and work in our four towns have diverse, sometimes conflicting views, about how to address school safety.”
Smith encouraged parents to share their own expectations with their child before the day’s events. He also recommended parents remind students of the resources available, staff willing to listen to students, within the school.
The letter, and walkout, comes at a time where safety has been brought to the forefront for MSAD 75. The district has had to respond to five threats of violence within the last three weeks, some more credible than others.
Threats made
A day after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, police and school officials investigated a pair of threats made to Mt. Ararat High School through social media posts. The next day Feb. 16, Woodside Elementary School was evacuated after a bomb threat was made. No bomb was found.
Last week, police arrested Jonas Cloukey, 19, of Bowdoinham, for an alleged threat against the high school on social media. A misunderstood text message between students led to the school sheltering in place the next day. Smith’s letter indicates his hopes that the protest is done safely, and school will continue as normal for the remainder of the day.
“We will communicate to all of our students that we expect that this event should be a brief interruption in the school day, and that we expect all of our students to resume their studies promptly,” Smith said.
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