Local School Systems Prepared For Walkout

Local school leaders have prepared for Wednesday’s National School Walkout.

The 17-minute walkout will take place nationwide at 10am Wednesday morning. The idea originated as a way to honor the 17 people who died at Stoneman Douglas School in February. The Nation School Walkout also serves as a chance for students to share thoughts about the issue of school safety.

“We’ve got a plan,” White County Director Of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said. “I’ve talked to administrators at the high school in particular and at the middle school. We have a place for them to go. We’ve expressed time limits to allow for that.”

Beyond protecting freedom of speech, Dronebarger said teachers will be available to hear what students have to say.

“It’s things we want to hear,” Dronebarger said. “Really listen to them and hear what they’re saying so that we can make decisions at an administrator’s level that can make things better.”

Dronebarger said his staff does not see the walkout as a concern or an inconvenience but rather as a teaching opportunity.

Other school administrators across the region we spoke to said they had not heard any talk of the Walkout at their schools and expected no issues.