New Paltz High School students participated in the nationwide walkout to protest gun violence this morning. Students across the country left class at 10 a.m. today and stayed outside for 17 minutes, a minute for each of the victims of the mass shooting in Parkland, Fl. a month ago.
The New Paltz walkout was organized by senior Caleb Sheedy.
“I was afraid nobody else would do it,” Sheedy said several weeks ago. “Kids are afraid to speak up against authority.”
Photographer Lauren Thomas was able to snap a few photos before school administrators asked her to leave campus.
Only a fraction of the content from each issue of New Paltz Times is posted online. To read it all, take advantage of our Dog Days subscription sale and get six months for just $15.
Fact is Lauren Thomas was at the walkout from the beginning to end. She was not prohibited from taking pictures or covering the event. She had prior approval to be on campus during the walkout. The administration of the high school did a super job of allowing the students to protest and at the same time, with the help of the New Paltz police, provided a safe and secure campus for the walkout to take place.
My son (a second grader about to turn 8) and I were the only ones outside Duzine. It was an important lesson and we are both proud to have done it.
Because most parents had to be at work they were unable to join us even if they wanted to. Others felt their children were too young. Parents know their individual children best & must make those decisions for their families.
In our family we used this opportunity to reinforce how important it is to stand up for yourself & especially others who need help. And to always work for justice, protests like this are a part of this work. Standing up for what is right, what you believe in, being proactive are vital to our society. Knowing that you can make a difference is valuable learning.
I believe we found an age appropriate way to empower our son & teach him about standing up for what is right, without getting into the details of school shootings or scaring him. I worry that the drills scare many of the children & cause so much anxiety. Perhaps actions such as these can help counteract a bit of it.
I am proud to see so many young people in our community standing up & speaking out. I’m upset to hear that some kids at the middle school were silenced and I urge the New Paltz times to look into it and report on it.
Stana,
Confusius say: While others are inside sitting, you will be OUTSTANDING!
Why do these students feel unsafe?The students at all these schools should feel safe. There are laws that prohibit guns being anywhere near schools. There are other places that prohibit guns from there establishments . I believe that includes all county, state and federal buildings. So why do they feel unsafe? Guns in those places are prohibited. Who would think of bringing a gun to one of those prohibited places? Well are you ready for the cold hard truth. It isn’t the law abiding citizens. It’s the criminals. It’s the kid that got bullied. It’s the person with a mental problem. The massacre’s were performed by people with mental issues.
We do need to keep our children safe. The only way to fight a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. And in a gun free zone there are NO good guys with guns. If the school districts don’t want to spend the money to put armed guards at every entrance then arm the teachers. I’m sure there are enough teachers that have been properly trained to own a fire arm and have their pistol permits.
Gun free zones don’t work. The students know that – The walk outs prove that. Prohibition didn’t work either and it got repelled. You can’t ban objects because the people that are the problem- fix the people solves the problem.
The government is using this with the media to push their agenda. Our children are a huge part of our population. They are the ones coming of age. They are the ones that the schools are NOT teaching all history – only select pieces. They are brainwashing our children into thinking our government is our savior. The same thing Hitler did to his country. Then he removed all the firearms. And well the rest is history. The 2nd amendment wasn’t written for hunters it was written by the people for the people. It was written to protect all the people from a tyrannical government. We do not need to be a part of the new world order. We are a free country. We need to keep it that way. We are the United States of America – Home of the free and land of the brave.
Our children are our future. Teach them right and they will succeed and they will take care of us properly in the future.
If The Schools in Our Society Are Not Safe, Than They Must Be Closed, Or Fully Secured, High Tech Metal Detectors Everywhere, and Heavily Armed Security Teams Constantly Monitoring Students and Staff.
No One In Or Out With out Screening, Yard Fenced, Lockers Searched, Clear Carry Back Packs Only ect…
AMAZING TEACHERS AND STAFF NOT DRUG TESTED. THIS MUST CHANGE, MANDATORY REGULAR, AND RANDOM DRUG TESTING OF ALL TEACHERS AND STAFF MUST BE STARTED.
If We Cant Secure Our Schools Than They Must Be Closed. Plain And Simple.