New Jersey school district plans on punishing students who participated in walkouts: report

A New Jersey school district reportedly plans on punishing students who participated in school walkouts Wednesday as part of a nationwide protest of gun violence. 

High school students in Sayreville, N.J., walked out of classes despite warnings from Sayreville Public School District officials that those who participated would be punished, MyCentralJersey.com reports.

According to the website, about a dozen students rallied outside the school for around 17 minutes and a number of other students also gathered in the school’s auditorium. {mosads}

The students who left the school were reportedly told they would receive two-day suspensions, while the students who attended the protest in the auditorium were reportedly told they would receive detentions. 

The Sayreville students were some of thousands who rallied on Wednesday to honor the 17 who were killed last month in the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., and demand action from Congress. Students from the Washington, D.C., area gathered alongside lawmakers for a rally outside the Capitol. 

Since the shooting, admissions departments at universities across the nation have assured high school applicants that disciplinary measures incurred by walking out for protests against gun violence would not be held against them in the application process.