A threatened walk-out to protest gun violence produced mixed results for students at Mercer County High School in Aledo, Illinois. The protest was organized by Mercer County junior Lauren Morby in response to the Parkland school shooting in Florida earlier this year.
Morby and some of her fellow schoolmates first went to the school’s principal to notify him of a potential walk-out. The principal and superintendent didn’t outright prohibit a walk-out, but they maintained that any student who walked out of class would receive an unexcused absence as punishment. Very few students were willing to participate in the walk-out with this punishment looming over their heads, according to organizers.
The school board then held a meeting to determine if students would be allowed to participate in the walk-out without receiving unexcused absences. Student organizers then approached a local radio reporter to publicize the potential walk-out and school board meeting. The school board ultimately voted to uphold the unexcused absences, which really hurt the momentum for the protest. “We were obviously devastated but were still going to do it,” said Morby, in response to the school board vote.
With very few students willing to be punished by participating in the walk-out, Morby and Mercer County school officials reached a compromise. There was a non-mandatory assembly planned at the school to honor the lives of the Parkland students, but at Mercer, the subject of gun control would be disallowed. Of the 400 students enrolled at Mercer, Morby said half attended the assembly. Even though Morby and fellow organizers feared protests from Second Amendment activists, these protests did not happen and the assembly went smoothly. “I hope I left an impression for more students to speak out on what was wrong,” said Morby, reflecting on the assembly.
Morby said that since Aledo is a conservative town in rural Illinois, the initial response to the potential walk-out was negative. She added that the Aledo community is very passionate about Second Amendment rights. However, there was support offered for the student walk-out in the community by those who lean more liberal. Ultimately, according to Morby, the Mercer County school assembly compromise led to an overall positive response within the Aledo community.
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