Waukee schools showed favoritism to students advocating gun control, teen says

A Waukee student says a pro-Second Amendment walkout at her school this week did not receive the same treatment from administrators as an April 20 gun-control demonstration.

Waukee High School junior Alexis Derby helped organize the "Stand for the Second" walkout Wednesday.

The 17-year-old said she discussed her plans with the school's principal ahead of time and asked for some of the same allowances that March for Our Lives demonstrators received last month.

Two of those requests — permission to hang posters promoting the event and to use the school's stadium — were both denied, even though school officials allowed the gun-control advocates to hang posters and use the stadium.

The school district also failed to communicate the pro-gun group's walkout plans to students and families, and it handled excused absences differently than it did for the gun-control rally, making it harder for students to participate, she said.

"I felt it was biased and one-sided," Derby said.

Waukee school officials did not comment on specific concerns when contacted by the Des Moines Register.

"As a district we seek to understand the voices of our students and be responsive while not creating a divide within our school," spokeswoman Nicole Lawrence said.

Lawrence acknowledged that student organizers for both demonstrations "were proactive and sought out our building administration to have conversations as they planned their student-led walkout."

School sent letter ahead of April walkout

Dozens of students from Waukee High, Timberline and Prairieview walked out of classes April 20 to protest gun violence. They gathered on the football stadium bleachers and listened as student speakers discussed gun violence issues.

Seven students participated in the Second Amendment demonstration Wednesday. Many of them, like Derby, plan to join the military after graduating from Waukee.

Derby, a Marine Corps recruit, said more students could have participated if organizers were allowed to promote the event in school and if administrators made students and families aware of the walkout beforehand.

Waukee schools sent a letter to students' families ahead of the April walkout.

The letter, which also was posted on the district's website, said the school "administration has been working jointly with our students on a movement that has been getting national, state and local attention."

► MORE: Iowa students join 'Stand for the Second' walkouts across nation

“We are proud that our students want to exercise their First Amendment rights to express their views on this important topic,” it said.

The letter was signed by Waukee High School Principal Cary Justmann.

"I love my school and I don't want to talk down about my administrators, but it was difficult to see more of their support toward March for Our Lives," Derby said.

The school also made it harder for students participating in Wednesday's walkout to receive an excused absence, she said.

Students were required to have a parent call the office ahead of time, something that was not required for the gun-control walkout in April, Derby said.

'An amazing discussion'

Derby said she and other organizers of Wednesday's walkout promoted the event on social media.

They were joined by a handful of teens who gathered around the American flag outside the stadium and sang the national anthem.

Derby, who plans to enter Marine Corps boot camp after graduating in January, said the group discussed ways to stop gun violence without instituting new gun-control measures and how to communicate that message to others.

The teens also discussed ideas like raising money for safety courses so teachers could receive firearms training.

"It was an amazing discussion," Derby said.

Stand for the Second walkouts were held at schools across the country on Wednesday. At least a half dozen Iowa schools had demonstrations planned.

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