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Lansing high school and middle school students honored the 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victims Wednesday, walking out of class to form a large circle and hold hands in silence for 17 minutes.  Wednesday was the one-month anniversary of the Parkland, Florida massacre.  The Lansing protest was part of a larger movement that saw thousands of students across the United States showing solidarity in their opposition to gun violence.  What may have differentiated Lansing's protest was that organizers closely coordinated with the school administration ahead of time to help insure a peaceful and safe event.

"I appreciate that our students have voiced their concerns regarding school violence and we will work with them in establishing proactive ways to be heard.  We are fortunate to have such thoughtful and concerned students," said Lansing high School Principal Colleen Ledley Monday when she introduced two student leaders to explain plans for the protest to the Board of Education. "I am amazed at their awareness and desire to speak openly about complex issues.  I, more than anything, appreciate their willingness to communicate and collaborate with Lansing administration.  As we move forward and learn more, we will send detailed communications."

Student organizers Sierra Stallman and Abigail Overstrom explained the plan that included walking out of class to gather in the parking lot near the school tennis courts.  After an opening speech explaining what would occur, the students would observe 17 minutes of silence.  Additionally postcards would be provided so that students could send their opinions to their New York Representatives, whatever those opinions might be. Provision was made to provide postcards for students who, for whatever reason, did not participate in the walkout, to facilitate having their voices heard as well.  Overstrom explained that those students would not be ostracized for choosing not to join the walkout.

"It will be just like another normal day for them," she said. "They'll stay in their classrooms, and classes will continue.  If they don't feel comfortable coming down we've invited them to wear orange, because it's the color of the movement, but if they don't want to wear orange it's not necessary."

"I appreciate your mindful and sensitive approach, that you want our district, and especially the high school where you are, to not be divided," said School Board President Christine Iacobucci. "You're sensitive to those students who choose to stay in their seats."

Stallman said the walkout was a way for students to be heard by their representatives even though they are not of voting age.

"We decided to do this because we want to honor the victims who lost their lives in the Parkland shooting.  It will be the one month anniversary on Wednesday.  But we also have been taught in school to make our voices heard.  Our goal is to make our voices heard and empower us to take action, because as young adults we can't vote yet, but one way for our voices to be heard is by peaceful protest."

Lansing administrators and students say the walkout is a protest against gun violence, but they were not going to take a stance on gun control Wednesday.  Sheriff's Deputy Pete Walker challenged the students to explain whether they agree with the national movement's 'demands' which he said are, in part, about expanding gun control.

"The national protest is about taking away guns, de-militarizing the police, having police, armed guards, or armed teachers in schools," he said.  "There is a whole list of demands, so there could potentially be a pro-Second Amendment counter-protest.  I'm all for people speaking their mind.  I'm just giving the 'what-ifs'.  As a police officer we look at the two sides.  The 'what-ifs' are always there.  You said this is part of the national movement.  What is the ultimate goal of this protestor walkout?"

"We realize we do have a split community when it comes to gun control specifically," Stallman said.  "We wanted to focus this more on renouncing gun violence, because that's something, hopefully, all of us can agree on -- that we don't want any more school shootings to happen.  In writing the letters students can address their specific concerns, but we can all join together to renounce gun violence."

Ledley added that it is not necessary to agree 100% with a national movement to make important social impacts. 

School Superintendent Chris Pettograsso lauded the organizers for working with administrators to facilitate the protest.

"I have been very pleased and impressed with the level of communication, the thoughtfulness, and the dialog between students and administration regarding this topic," she said.

Pettograsso stressed that district officials are most concerned with the safety of the students.  Ledley said that district employees who are not teaching at the time of the protest had volunteered to help supervise.

"It is completely voluntary," she said. "They are not participants - they are supervisors, so there as they would at any student activity as a supervisor.  I've had four or five people already say they would take this on."

Pettograsso advised the School Board that the district's attorneys advised that the only action school officials need enforce is adherence to the school's code of conduct.

"They sent a special client alert to all of their clients regarding this, called 'Student Protests and Walkouts', which aids the District to prepare and how we should advise," she said. "We've been following it pretty much to a T, which is my job as Superintendent, looking at not the why it's happening, but what is happening and how we appropriately respond with our code of conduct, particularly with unexcused absences from schools.  We start with warnings and go from there."

"The Code of Conduct is an extension of policy," she continued. "All the legal advice (acknowledges) students have a right to free speech until it largely disrupts the educational process.  The question would be, during the 17 minutes that they're gone, knowing that they're safe, knowing that it's organized, and we know where they are, is that disrupting the educational process?  Most legal firms have come out and said that no, it wouldn't be.  The only thing to consider is the unexcused absence from class.  It's a partial unexcused absence.  We're looking at all those things. Obviously there's progressive discipline, so if they decide to miss class again next week because they want to take on opioid abuse, they would have more discipline because it's the second time they did it.  if we're at the fifth one, now we have suspension.  But this hasn't happened, so we'll see what happens in the future."

Stallman said that the walkout would enhance students' education on a topic that is not discussed normally in the schools, such as drug addiction and teen pregnancy.

"Our main concern is gun violence in schools," said Stallman. "It's really up to whoever writes a postcard what they want to ask or what they want to tell the people they are writing the postcards to.  We are addressing gun violence and trying to renounce that, and doing what we can to stop it.  An outcome for me personally is showing our classmates we have a voice, and we can do something if we take the time to organize it.  The students in Florida have been doing a tremendous job of stepping up and making their opinions heard, and I would like that to continue northward."

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