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Local Students Plan To Take Part In Walkout

REDMOND, OR -- Students at some local schools plan to participate in a nationwide walkout to protest gun violence, Wednesday morning. Redmond Proficiency Academy Director Jon Bullock says the courts have ruled that kids don’t leave their rights at the schoolhouse door, and he respects their right to peacefully protest any issue. "At RPA we believe in student voice, and we believe students need to have a way to express their viewpoints. We also believe that students need to understand what civil disobedience is, what it looks like, and that there are consequences associated with that." He adds, "If any student participates, they’ll receive an unexcused absence and any sort of disciplinary consequence that comes with that; same if our middle school students leave campus, we’ll contact their parents so they know they’ve left campus."

 

But, Dr. Bullock says, "What we’re choosing to focus on - it is not that aspect of it; but rather the educational aspect for students and families around the idea of civil disobedience. We believe every student should be in class every day, all the time. That’s the best place to make sure learning happens, and we want to encourage our students to do that. We also know, though, that acts of civil disobedience means that you are violating a policy because something has moved you to the point where you believe strongly enough about it that you’re willing to take the consequences for that." He tells KBND News, "For us, the way we handle any sort of protest is they’re not school sponsored events, they will not be supervised by staff; if students are going to engage in an act of civil disobedience, they do so on their own accord, and it does not happen on school campus."

 

To hear our full conversation with RPA Director Dr. Jon Bullock, visit our Podcast Page or click HERE

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