Brandywine students stage walkout to protest gun violence

Students in the Brandywine School District will be walking out of high schools Thursday morning to protest gun violence and remember the 21 people who were shot dead last week at an elementary school in Texas.

The walkout is the latest instance in which students across the country are protesting gun violence.

“I’m hoping that will start to bring even more attention to it,” said Natalie Tobin, a 16-year-old Brandywine High School junior, who will be part of the walkout. “We need something to be done about it.”

Tobin said she’s invited community leaders, including Delaware lawmakers, to the Brandywine High protest that is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

“I’m hoping those people, seeing how much we care about it, is going to help them realize they need to push for more action in our government,” she said.

Brandywine High students said they will walk around the high school’s track for 21 minutes in honor of the 19 children children and two adults shot dead on May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Each minute they will read the name of one of the victims, who was killed by a man who officials said legally purchased two assault rifles and scores of ammunition last month for his 18th birthday.

Students across the nation have been staging walkouts at schools and college campuses since last week to protest gun violence and demand stricter gun controls.

More:‘It shouldn’t have happened here.’ Before Texas shooting, Uvalde was a place for families, friendship

Ahmadi, a junior at Essex High School in Vermont who serves on the national advisory board of Students Demand Action, decided a walkout was the only option: “Our lives are more important than schoolwork,” she told USA Today. Ahmadi blasted out calls to action on social media and notified her school’s administration.

“This didn’t feel like a time to ask for permission,” she said.

That demonstration took place midmorning the day after the Texas massacre. It also became the first of a string of student walkouts across the country in response to the Uvalde shooting, according to USA Today.

More:‘This didn’t feel like a time to ask permission’: After Texas school shooting, students walk out for gun law reform

The idea for the Brandywine School District’s walkout began at Mount Pleasant High School, but soon students at Brandywine and Concord high schools also wanted to participate.

“We decided to go along with this because it’s important to all of us,” said Tobin, who is her class president. “This maters to everyone in the school district.”

The student-led protests have the support of school administrators.

“The student leaders coordinated with their building leadership to plan meaningful events bringing attention to gun violence occurring across the country,” said Danielle Pro-Hudson, Brandywine School District spokeswoman.

This is a developing story. Check back with delawareonline.com for more information.

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.

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Brandywine students stage walkout to protest gun violence

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