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Education

Fulton County Schools revises stance on student walkouts

The National School Walkout will take place March 14.
The National School Walkout will take place March 14.
By
March 1, 2018

Fulton County Schools will support a "structured" activity at 10 a.m. March 14, when students from across the country are planning to walk out of schools to protest gun violence.

The district on Thursday announced a change in its previous position, which drew criticism from some students and parents. Fulton initially said it would not allow walkouts that disrupt the school day and instead suggested students meet at the flagpole at lunch for a supervised gathering or schedule a candlelight vigil.

Fulton officials now plan to change the bell schedules at middle and high schools on March 14, so that the 10 a.m. time doesn’t cut into instructional time. Students will be permitted to participate in a “structured time for the expression of support,” said spokeswoman Donna Lowry.

In many cases, students will not be allowed to leave the building because of safety concerns, but will instead gather in a gym or elsewhere in the school. Any student who leaves campus will face the normal discipline for such an action, Lowry said.

Read about how other metro Atlanta school districts are responding to the walkouts here on MyAJC.com.

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