Mass student protests at nearly 3,000 schools across the US will last for 17 minutes to mark the 17 deaths in the Florida school shooting

Students across the US have planned “walkout” demonstrations for Wednesday, a month to the day after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people were killed.

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Participants say they are acting to memorialize those who were killed and to call for new gun safety legislation, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and the introduction of universal background checks.

At some schools, students plan to march outside. Elsewhere, students may congregate in halls or stand in classrooms. Organizers have encouraged students to work with school administrators and parents in planning the demonstrations.

Demonstrators hope to maintain a sense of national urgency around the need for gun policy reform, in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting at a US high school.

Here’s the essential information:

What action is planned?

Mass student protests at nearly 3,000 schools (as of Monday night) across the country, according to organizers. You can view a map of the planned protests and a list of schools here. Most protests are scheduled to start at 10am local time. The protests will last for 17 minutes to mark the 17 deaths in Stoneman Douglas high school one month ago. The format of the protests depends on locality.

Who is planning to participate?

The protests are organizing under the banner #Enough, part of the Youth Empower offshoot of the Women’s March movement that formed after the election of Donald Trump. The group encourages all students to participate. Members of the public are encouraged to wear orange and to express support on social media, but not to show up at schools.

Is this really led by students?

According to organizers:

Yes! The ENOUGH National School Walkout is an initiative organized by Women’s March Youth Empower. We believe, as youth, it is imperative we have spaces where our voices are being heard. We DON’T need adults speaking on our behalf.

Can students be sanctioned for participating?

First amendment free speech protections apply on school grounds, although students who participate in rallies may be subject to routine disciplinary measures if they skip class or coursework.

While many schools have released statements of support for students to rally, certain school districts have discouraged students from participating. The superintendent of the Needville independent school district outside Houston, Texas, published a letter warning that any student who took part would be suspended for three days. “Life is all about choices and every choice has a consequence whether it be positive or negative,” superintendent Curtis Rhodes said. Most Texas schools are, however, on spring break this week.

Many colleges and universities have released statements assuring high school students that a decision to participate in protests would not weigh negatively in prospective university applications.