Greenville County students, teachers who walk out face consequences; alternatives proposed

Greenville County high school students and teachers who participate in the March 14 National School Walkout could face disciplinary consequences, so educators are planning alternatives to keep everyone in school.

Students who walk out could be counted absent, according to the Greenville County school district.

Teachers could face harsher punishment for leaving their classrooms.

The top concern of the school district is the safety risk posed by any walkout, said district spokeswoman Beth Brotherton.

"Parents drop children off at school with the expectation that we're going to keep them there and take care of them, and if we just let them walk out the door, that not only endangers their safety but violates what we're charged with doing on a daily basis," Brotherton said.

The group Women’s March Youth Empower is calling for students, teachers, school administrators and parents to participate in a walkout for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. on March 14 to protest gun violence.

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The movement was prompted by the recent mass shooting that claimed 17 lives at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, and it's designed to pressure Congress to support gun-control legislation, according to the group's website.

Greenvillle County's 15 high schools are mulling a variety of alternatives to a walkout that would involve students and educators collaborating. Activities could include moments of silence or wearing the school colors of Stoneman Douglas High School, Brotherton said.

"We want our students to feel like they have a voice, but at the same time we feel it's a huge safety risk to have children leaving the building en masse," Brotherton said. "We want to encourage students to have free thought, but they are entrusted to our care during those hours of the day.

"If students choose to walk out, there will be the typical expected consequences of any other time they were to leave school in the middle of the day without a doctor's note. It would be an unexcused absence. We would prefer that students participate in something meaningful at the school level rather than posing a larger safety risk. That's why we're trying to be proactive, to give students a safer alternative so it doesn't become a discipline issue."

Teachers, meanwhile, are not supposed to leave their classrooms or express political opinions at school.

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"Teachers cannot make a political statement during school time or when they're acting as district employees," Brotherton said. "Our expectations would be that employees would follow district guidelines and choose not to walk out."

If teachers did walk out, "that would truly be a case of insubordination or not performing expected duties," Brotherton said. Those incidents would be handled "on a case-by-case basis," she said.

"I know we've got at least one school doing a walk around the track in memory of one of the coaches whose lives were lost," Brotherton said.

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Student leaders will be heavily involved in the planning of any March 14 activities, she said.

"We're trying to work proactively to get all of the high school principals and their student councils together to come up with some way to mark the day and meaningfully show their compassion for what happened in Florida, but without the safety and security risk of students leaving during the day," Brotherton said.

"I hope we can come up with some specific plans for each high school where students feel like their voices have been heard."

Paul Hyde covers education and everything else under the South Carolina sun. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7.