MONROE — A sea of white flowed out of Monroe Township High School last week as students participated in the nationwide school walkout movement to protest gun violence and show support for the victims of the Florida school shooting last month.
Schools Superintendent Michael Kozak said Principal Robert Goodall met with student leaders, who expressed they wanted to take action.
“We wanted to make sure they were safe and secure no matter what they decided to do,” he said.
The student leaders decided to wear white and hold a walk for peace on March 14 to show their support for the victims of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14. A 19-year-old gunman entered the school and killed 17 people.
“The plan was to walk for 17 minutes,” Kozak said. “The students walked twice around the high school. It was probably more than 17 minutes, but it didn’t cause much disruption to the school day.”
Kozak, who also participated in the walk with the students, said most of the 2,200 high school students participated in the student-led walk.
“I’m extremely proud of our students, the high school administrators, teachers and staff,” he said. “I think it shows every student can be civically active and send a powerful message.”
Kozak said students at Monroe Township Middle School participated in different activities inside the school to show their support for the victims in Florida.
