Walking Out In Peaceful Protest

Do you have a right to walk out of school in peaceful protest?

Yes, you have a right to walk out in protest. The First Amendment defends your rights to freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly — all expressions of a right to walk out.

Martin Luther King and civil rights leaders helped young people to participate in bus boycotts, protest against segregated lunch counters and water fountains, create their own freedom schools, and walk out of segregated schools.

But, school officials have a responsibility to stop the protest if it disrupts the school. They can discipline you for missing class, and even suspend you if the disruption is too much.

March for Our Lives was a student-led demonstration in response to the mass shootings at the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting . Students walked out of school and organized a national march in support of gun control in more than 800 schools and 2 million students, making it one of the largest protests in American history .

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

YOUTH VOICES:

STUDENTS WALKING OUT:

MICHIGAN STUDENTS WALKING OUT:

TEACHER RESOURCES:

The academy aims to prepare a new generation of civil rights leaders. For more information contact Barry Checkoway (barrych@umich.edu). #youthcivilrights