MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Students at several schools in Memphis staged walkouts Thursday as part of the national movement against gun violence.
According to social media posts, local schools participating Thursday included Cordova High, White Station High, East High, Central High, Ridgeway High, KIPP Memphis and Overton High.
A group calling itself YouthSolutions, which released a video on the protests, says it is a partnership between students and faculty at Shelby County Schools.
“This is the start of a partnership that we believe is more important than any class lesson, test or assignment,” a student says in a YouTube video posted by SCS. “We are working on a unified list of recommendations to make our schools safer.”
At the end of the walkout, suggestions for curbing violence in schools will be posted under the hashtag #Youthsolutions901.
Friday is the 19th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting, and schools around the country are planning a walkout on that day.
An SCS spokesperson said local students chose to walk out on Thursday because “the students wanted to honor the wishes of Columbine victims’ families.”