Texas Students Threatened With Suspension If They Walk Out to Protest Gun Violence in Schools

Yeah, this was probably not the best move.

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—the scene of America’s most recent mass shooting—have rallied together to fight for gun reform, and it’s impossible not to feel both inspired and hopeful for change, even a continent away, especially after watching this impassioned speech by survivor Emma Gonzalez.

Their calls-to-action have led to a series of planned walkouts in schools across America, with the biggest of all set for 20 April, marking the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.

However, one school district superintendent in Texas is opposing any planned walkouts or protests, pledging to suspend students for three days should they demonstrate during school hours.

Given that the organised and peaceful demonstrations come in the wake of a school shooting that took 17 lives, including students and staff, his pledge to discipline "one, fifty or five hundred students" can be seen as a wild misreading of the cultural mood.

According to Vox, superintendent Curtis Rhodes of Needville ISD published a statement to Facebook making clear that students who walkout "for any type of protest or awareness… will be suspended from school for 3 days and face all the consequences that come along with an out of school suspension."

The post has since been taken down, but angry commenters have descended on the Needville High School Facebook page to express their anger and disappointment.

Meanwhile, one hundred students of Marjory Stoneman descended on Florida lawmakers today, only to be met with empty words and rejection on the matter of banning the AR-15 assault rifle.

President Donald Trump sat down with parents and students of the Parkland shooting for a “listening” session—though he had to bring in pre-written notes informing him, basically, to listen. (See note #5 in the picture below.)

During the session, President Trump floated the idea of teachers carrying concealed weapons in class.

"If you had a teacher who was adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly," he said.

However, Marjory Stoneman students appeared on Comedy Central’s The Opposition to refute that frequent suggestion, saying, "That's going to school in a prison and having teachers be your prison guards."

Photo: Facebook (marchforourlives)