Nearly two dozen Westside Middle School students walked out of class Wednesday to morning to protest gun violence one week after 17 people were killed in a Florida high school.
Westside Community Schools director of communications Brandi Petersen says the students left their classrooms and went outside around 10:00 a.m. She says they spent about two hours outside voicing their concerns over gun violence and school safety.
Petersen says the school will not punish any students for their protest, but they will have to make up the work they missed.
"We want our students to be engaged, active and aware of what's happening, but we also want them in the classroom learning," Petersen says. " They decided to have a walkout and express how they feel. We allowed them to go outside to let their voices be heard."
She says the school had no indication the students were planning the walk-out.