Sartell-St. Stephen High School students could face discipline for participating in the National Student Walkout on Wednesday, March 14.
About 125 of the high school’s 1,200 students participated in the walkout that marked the one-month anniversary of the killing of 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Superintendent Jeff Schwiebert sent this statement to parents of high school students after Wednesday morning’s walkout.
“While I applaud our students for using their First Amendment rights, I am also required to follow school policy and provide a normal school “consequence” for missing class. Depending on the individual student’s history of missing classes, this discipline could be very minor or significant. Students had a choice and they knew the consequences. My understanding of the issue is that students want their voices to be heard in the debate about school safety and what the government should do about it. Our students are practicing an act of civil disobedience and are willing to receive their consequence,” Schwiebert wrote.