What you need to know about the #Enough National School Walkout

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Tuesday, March 13, 2018
What you need to know about the National School Walkout
Organizers behind the Women's March are encouraging students and teachers to participate in a walkout demonstration to demand action against gun violence.

The #Enough National School Walkout, calling for Congress to pass tighter federal gun laws, will take place on March 14, exactly one month after the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

The protest, organized by the same group behind the Women's March, calls for students, teachers, parents and school administrators to walk out of their schools at 10 a.m. local time across the country. The walkouts will last for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

"We are not safe at school. We are not safe in our cities and towns," the organization said on Facebook. "Congress must take meaningful action to keep us safe and pass federal gun reform legislation that address the public health crisis of gun violence."

Over 2,800 walkouts have been organized across the U.S., according to Womensmarch.com. Groups from Ireland, Switzerland, Israel and Mexico have also signed up to participate.

Many schools have encouraged students to participate, but others have threatened to punish students who walk out, according to ABC News.

The American Civil Liberties Union has said schools are allowed to discipline students for missing class, but they are not allowed to discipline more harshly due to the political nature of an action.

Several demonstrations have been organized in the wake of the Parkland school shooting, including the March For Our Lives on March 24, where survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School will march in Washington D.C.