At 10:30 a.m. on March 23, 2018, no bell rang. No fire drill signaled students to go outside. No teachers said it was time to leave. Why, then, did Glendale students leave the building and gather at the football field? They walked out in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that resulted in the loss of 17 lives.
Those who participated in the student-led walkout held signs voicing their beliefs. They separated into their causes once on the field. Lemonade and tea, sold to support the victims of the Parkland shooting, was housed in the center of Glendale’s Lowe’s Stadium, separating the differing groups. A moment of silence lasting 17 seconds occurred in remembrance of the victims.
This walkout at Glendale occurred simultaneously with walkouts at the four other Springfield Public Schools (SPS) high schools. Students at Missouri State University and Drury University walked out as well. A nationwide walkout was held on March 14, 2018, but that was during spring break for all SPS schools. Students quickly arranged another date.
At Glendale, Halle Robbins, junior, spoke with the administration about having a walkout at Glendale to advocate for school safety and honor those lost in Florida. Kyle Snyder, sophomore, led an opposing walkout to voice beliefs on American rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Megan Keller, junior, participated in the walkout to express her views on the need for new legislation to keep students protected. She wanted to do her part to support the movement that originated in Florida.
“I walked out in memorial of the Parkland victims and to stand together with the survivors that are fighting for policy change,” Keller said. “What the Parkland students are doing is remarkable, and I have never been more proud to stand up for something so important. I walked out because I refused to be on the silent side of history.”
On the other end, Tala Townsend, junior, walked out to oppose gun control and offer support to the victims of the Parkland shooting.
“The side I chose was against gun control,” Townsend said. “As a person who considers themself a conservative, I follow and believe in the Constitution. The walkout allowed me a chance to let others know and inform them of how it keeps our country a free one. Not only that, it as well gave everyone a chance to pay respect to those who died in Florida.”
Meanwhile, students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas are amazed by the support for their cause as seen by the walkouts all over the country. Arianna Otero, sophomore, cannot believe how many people have joined their cause and is inspired by all of the love and support.
“It doesn’t really sink in until you come home from school the day after the walkouts and you see the news reports of school after school after school, coast to coast, people walking out in support of what we’re trying to do,” Otero said. “It’s amazing, and it’s inspiring just to watch you guys and to see that you’re all inspired by us. It’s back and forth inspiration; that’s pretty cool.”
The Parkland students are still planning to fight for what they believe in. They are not planning to stop until change happens.
“We want to stay alive,” Otero said. “That’s the end goal. Homework we can manage. That’s what we want: to get gun reform and mental health reform. We just want everything to come together so it’s a safer place for students and for people in general.”
When the Glendale administration learned of the desire for a walkout, the main concern was for the safety of the students. The open environment of the football field allowed for easier access to a large number of students. Dr. Natalie Cauldwell, Glendale principal, was concerned by this aspect of the walkouts.
“[The walkout] opened the door to a lot of possibilities for people who are not associated with our school to have the opportunity to create problems for our students,” Dr. Cauldwell said. “We didn’t want that to happen. I think that was ultimately our main concern.”
At Glendale, participation in the walkout did not result in punishment. This decision was made at the district level. Dr. John Jungmann, SPS superintendent, says the walkouts were allowed because they were organized solely by the students.
“The district made that decision with an understanding that the effort was student led and not district sponsored, that participation was optional and open to anyone and that the rights of all students to express their opinions, regardless of perspective, would be respected,” Dr. Jungmann said.
After the walkout, a small number of complaints were made by parents about the minimal communication from Glendale administration about the walkout. Dr. Cauldwell explained that teachers and administrators had to take a neutral stance on the issue.
“We did not support nor did we discourage the walkout,” Dr. Cauldwell said. “If I had communicated anything about the walkout, that would have been an endorsement. That would have been using district time and resources to endorse it because we didn’t stop it.”
With this topic of school safety, many ideas are being considered to prevent another school shooting from occurring. Officer JT Day believes school safety is tied to privacy.
“In my opinion, the only way to really make it safe is to basically take away people’s liberties, which means every person gets searched when they come in the school building,” Officer Day said. “Unless you really want to lock everything down and run it like a prison, you can’t guarantee [safety].”
To Officer Day, the source of the problem plaguing the country is in money. Improvements in safety measures at public schools have to be covered in their budgets. Unless taxes are raised or donations are made, it can be hard to enact change.
“I hope that people would quit bringing guns to school and shooting people, but there’s a lot of factors involved,” Officer Day said. “Mental health, in my opinion, is a big part of that. There are a lot of things to grasp and tackle right now, and unfortunately a lot of it comes down to money. They’re going to have to find the money from somewhere.”
With the heightened scrutiny on school policies regarding safety, teachers and staff are trying to do a better job of enforcing safety protocols. Dr. Cauldwell believes the issue lies in society’s need for convenience.
“I think that we have really, really good safety protocols in place,” Dr. Cauldwell said. “I think what people don’t realize is that when it becomes an inconvenience, people don’t want to do it. Students don’t want to do it. Teachers don’t want to do it. Parents don’t want to do it. We fight the same safety protocols every single day.”
Dr. Jungmann is both the head of the Springfield Public Schools district and a parent of Halle Jungmann, Glendale sophomore. As a result, Dr. Jungmann has both professional and personal concern for keeping schools safe.
“My perspective is unique – as both a parent and as an educator,” Dr. Jungmann said. “Both of those roles compel me to do everything I can to advocate for a safe learning environment. I take that job very seriously, and I’m committed to that work each and every day.”
SPS is looking to the future for new ways to ensure the safety of all students. The district believes the focus needs to be on building bonds between students and staff. From there, higher security measures can be enforced. In making new decisions, the district has reached out to members of the community for ideas on how to maintain a secure learning environment.
“Our goal is to focus on strong relationships that begin at the classroom level between the student and teacher and extend to counselors, school resource officers, other staff and administrators,” Dr. Jungmann said. “By focusing on relationships, standardizing our best practices and exploring opportunities to tighten security wherever possible, I believe we can make important progress toward safer learning environments. That is our number one priority.”
As time passes, SPS board members are working to reinforce safety protocols in the district. With nothing definite, students, teachers and staff are waiting to see what change will come. Meanwhile, students all over the nation have not forgotten the lives lost in recent school shootings and those that occurred in the past. Any concerns regarding safety at SPS schools can be reported to the district’s police hotline at 523-2911.