PORTLAND (AP) — The superintendent of Portland’s public school system says students won’t be punished for taking part in a national student walkout spurred by the fatal school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Superintendent Xavier Botana said Saturday that students will be allowed to participate in March 14 event, citing the students’ rights to freedom of speech.
WGME-TV reports students will neither be pressured to participate nor will they be punished for taking part.
The walkout is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 14, with students from several schools in Maine planning to participate. It is scheduled to last for 17 minutes, a minute for each victim of the Parkland shooting.
The district says they will inform police about the plan for the student walkout.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less