Texas school district threatens to suspend students who protest gun violence

A superintendent in a Texas school district is warning that students will be suspended if they cause any disruptions to protest gun violence.

Needville Independent School District (ISD) Superintendent Curtis Rhodes said in a letter that was sent to families and posted on social media that students would be suspended for three days if they took part in the protests happening following the deadly Florida high school shooting, The Houston Chronicle reported.

In the statement, Rhodes said that Needville ISD is “very sensitive” to violence in schools.

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“Please be advised that the Needville ISD will not allow a student demonstration during school hours for any type of protest or awareness!!” Rhodes said.

“Should students choose to do so, they will be suspended from school for 3 days and face all the consequences that come along with an out of school suspension.”

Life is about choices, Rhodes said, adding that “every choice has a consequence whether it be positive or negative.”

“We will discipline no matter if it is one, fifty, or five hundred students involved,” the statement said.

“All will be suspended for 3 days and parent notes will not alleviate the discipline.”

He said a school is a place to learn and grow “educationally, emotionally and morally” and pledged that the school district would not tolerate disruptions.

“Respect yourself, your fellow students and the Needville Independent School District and please understand that we are here for an education and not a political protest,” the statement said.

The comments come after 17 people were killed when a gunman opened fire last week at a high school in Florida.

Since the shooting, students have become vocal advocates for gun control, demanding that lawmakers act to prevent future tragedies.

On Tuesday, hundreds of students at a school in Florida walked out of class and began marching toward the high school where the deadly shooting took place as a call to action and a show of solidarity.

A nationwide school walkout has also been planned to protest gun violence.

Students who survived the high school shooting last week are visiting the Florida state capital Wednesday to demand that lawmakers act.