By KATY SAVAGE
Special to the Eagle Times
WINDSOR — Windsor High School student Virginia Snyder said some of her classmates don’t feel safe at school.
After 17 students and educators were killed in Parkland, Florida last month and after a shooter threatened Fair Haven High School in Vermont days later, some Windsor students are wondering when an active shooter will target them, Snyder said.
“We come here everyday,” said Snyder, 16. “It’s kind of terrifying knowing something like this could happen at any day.”
Snyder was one of the organizers behind a walkout at Windsor Schools on Wednesday. About 150 students in grades seven to 12 walked out of their classroom at 10 a.m. in protest. They advocated for increased school safety and more gun laws.
The 17-minute walkout was part of a national protest organized by teenagers in an activist group called Women’s March Youth EMPOWER. The purpose of the group was to protest Congress’ inaction to strengthen gun laws after the shooting in Florida Feb. 14.
The national youth organizers called for tighter gun laws and safety on their website.
“Parents have the right to send their kids to school in the mornings and see them home alive at the end of the day,” the activist group’s website said.
More than 3,000 schools across the country participated in the event, according to the website.
Locally, Flood Brook School, Lebanon High School and Windsor Schools were listed as participants.
Elizabeth Wilson, a 16-year-old at Windsor High School, said she was walking out because she was angry that nothing was being done to prevent gun violence.
“It’s like, am I going to be next?” she asked.
The purpose behind the walkout created controversy over gun legislation. While some students held signs for tighter laws, others refused to participate.
Elijah Collier, 18, said he wouldn’t walkout.
“I don’t feel it’s the right way to get the point across,” said Collier, a senior at Windsor High School who said he comes from a conservative family.
“I don’t like the idea of banning weapons because I don’t think that solves the problem,” he said.
But, Collier said that he, like other students, is worried about his safety.
“No one’s 100 percent safe, no matter how well you think your school is protected,” he said.
While some schools let students walkout under first amendment rights, Springfield Superintendent of Schools Zach McLaughlin threatened those who walked out with disciplinary action.
McLaughlin said 57 middle school students and six high school students who walked out of their classrooms at 10 a.m. on Wednesday would serve detention.
McLaughlin issued a letter before Wednesday, explaining his reasoning.
“If we were to allow students to walk out of class due to their support of gun control without penalty, it would be fair for other students to expect to be allowed to walk out of class on other days for whatever political position inspired them,” the letter said. “If that were to occur, we would struggle to maintain a safe and orderly school.”
The purpose behind the walkout also opened conversations that had never been discussed in some school buildings.
Weathersfield School faculty had never talked about gun legislation. When faculty met after the Florida shooting, Principal JeanMarie Oakman said she could immediately see her staff was divided over the topic.
Hunters and police officer’s spouses work in the building, she said.
Weathersfield School, serving grades K-8, controlled the event by scheduling a 17-second memorial service at the time of the 10 a.m. walkout. Students and faculty gathered in the cafeteria for a moment of silence for the victims.
Students weren’t allowed to walk outside. Staff members were concerned letting them out would open a safety issue with a potential shooter knowing where students would be.
“It’s a shame that we have to even think in these terms, but it’s a different world out there,” said Oakman.
Fall Mountain Regional School District discouraged participation in a March 7 newsletter.
“While we fully support a student’s right to free speech guaranteed to everyone under the U.S. Constitution, we cannot endorse or condone any effort that disrupts the learning process or school day,” the letter from the superintendent said.
Some administrators addressed gun rights in letters.
“The walkout is not a referendum on the 2nd Amendment,” Lebanon High School Principal Ian Smith wrote in a March 9 letter. “We are not in a position to take a formal political stance on issues of the day. We are in a position however, to cultivate an atmosphere where students are encouraged to have a voice.”
Flood Brook School Principal Neal McIntyre said he’d been clear, “FBS, as a public institution, should not adopt a position of its own.”
The news of the threat in Vermont was shocking to some, including the governor of Vermont, who didn’t think something like that could happen here.
Gov. Phil Scott, a supporter of second amendment rights, altered his views following the recent violence. He recently announced a multi-step action plan that evaluates the background check process, increases the age a person can purchase firearms to 21, allows measures for temporary removal of firearms and bans bump stocks.
Scott said he his action plan would not take away second amendment rights.
After the violence, Windsor Principal Tiffany Cassano, like other principals, immediately thought about safety.
“My first inclination was, ‘what do we have in place for safety protocols?’” Cassano asked. “Are we doing everything we possibly can to keep our students and staff safe? That’s where an administrator’s mind automatically goes.”
Windsor students filmed a 5-minute YouTube video with Cassano and the school’s police officer.
The video, shown during an assembly, demonstrated what students should do in a lockdown, how handle a threat of an active shooter and what to do during a fire drill.
In a lockdown, students were instructed to shut the blinds, turn off the lights, go to a corner in a room, sit on the ground and remain silent.
Windsor School also held a remembrance ceremony last week for the Florida victims. Some students have signed a petition to tighten gun control, Cassano said.
About half of the students in grades seven to 12 participated in the walkout in Windsor. Parents and teachers also participated.
Snyder said the goal was to spark a discussion
“Even if there is opposition to us, it’s important we talk about these issues to find comprehensive solutions,” Snyder said.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.