Many Nashville area schools participated in the nationwide walkout protesting gun violence at 10am Wednesday morning. The March 14 walkouts came in response to the massacre in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 teachers and students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
With 169 schools and an estimated 88,000 students in the MNPS district, officials encouraged students and teachers to find a safe place inside the schools to protest, as some were concerned that going outdoors would make participants vulnerable. (Most went outside anyway, and it seems that all went smoothly. Everyone is safe, thankfully!)
District Spokesperson, Michelle Michaud, had previously stated that students who left campus without parent permission, didn't return, or stayed away longer than the nationally observed time of 17 minutes would be counted as unexcused, and could face loitering charges by MNPD.
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