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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As part of the larger National School Walkout that took place on Wednesday, dozens of students at districts throughout Lake County left classes to participate in peaceful demonstrations.
The walkout event, meant as a student-led protest of gun violence, arose in the wake of the fatal high school shooting on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in which 17 students and faculty members were killed by a 19-year-old gunman.
Lake County News was able to confirm student participation in the event in the Konocti, Lakeport, Middletown and Upper Lake districts. Officials in the Kelseyville Unified School District did not respond by press time.
Lake County News also made requests for comment from students involved in organizing the event at Clear Lake High School but did not receive a response Wednesday night.
In the Konocti Unified School District, only five students walked, all at Lower Lake High School, according to Superintendent Donna Becnel.
In the Lakeport Unified School District, a “WalkUp” event was promoted at Clear Lake High School instead of a walkout. Students were encouraged to wear white and walk up to students who sit alone at lunch, reach out to new friends, thank teachers or approach and talk to those with different viewpoints.
The WalkUp event was held in the school’s quad area, according to Superintendent April Leiferman.
She said she was with another group of students who were protesting in front of the gym, up until the time some of them walked off campus.
“I made it clear to the students that they could protest on campus, but could not leave campus because of safety issues,” she said.
Leiferman explained that students cannot leave campus unsupervised and need parent permission to do so, just like for field trips.
“Some of the students did not return after the protest which caused us to worry and we contacted their parents,” she said. “We spoke to those students that did return and discussed with them the legal responsibility of schools to keep students safe from the time they leave home in the morning to the time they return home after school. These students will serve detention together as a group while planning how to protest and be safe at the same time.”
Pictures of a group of students walking from the Lakeport Unified campus to the Lake County Courthouse in downtown Lakeport were posted on social media by Lake County Supervisor Tina Scott, who walked with them.
Scott, a former Lakeport Unified School Board member, had posted on Tuesday night that she planned to march with them. While she said she understood the need to keep students in school, “I also know the importance of standing up for what you believe in.”
In the Middletown Unified School District, Superintendent Catherine Stone said some students also participated.
She said they let students know that they could walk out of class at 10 a.m. but could not leave campus.
“They were encouraged to gather on the quad, and to return to class right afterward. We treated it as an opportunity for students to learn about civic engagement. Students who did not wish to participate stayed in their classes,” she said.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday about 100 students convened in the campus quad, Stone said.
“They spoke quietly among themselves for awhile, and then a student suggested they all take off their shoes and lay them out to represent the students who have been killed at schools across the country,” she said. “They did this and then formed a ring around the shoes and sang ‘Amazing Grace’.”
She said they then spent the rest of the time in silence in honor of the 17 students and faculty who lost their lives in Parkland.
“Right at 10:17, without any prompting, they returned to class,” she said.
Separately, elementary school students at a charter school in Middletown were reported to have participated in a brief march through town.
At Upper Lake High School, school administrators told Lake County News that 23 students walked out of classes but stayed in the quad on the campus.
There are other upcoming demonstrations planned in coming weeks, including the March 24 “March For Our Lives” protests in Washington, D.C. and the National Day of Action Against Gun Violence in Schools on April 20.
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