Colleges promise not to penalize high school students disciplined for protesting gun violence

Nearly 200 colleges have promised not to penalize high school students who are disciplined for taking part in peaceful protests in the wake of the mass shooting at a Florida high school.

According to a list compiled by neveragaincolleges.com, 182 schools have said they are committed to protecting applicants who “participate in peaceful demonstrations and may face disciplinary actions by their prior institutions.” 

The site says that high school students want to show they are part of the “Never Again” movement, but “fear that any sort of disciplinary actions from their current schools will affect any current or potential admission to a university of their choice.”

Colleges on the list that have vowed not to penalize students who may face disciplinary action for taking part in peaceful protests include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and the University of Florida.

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., earlier this month has sparked a wave of activism among students who are demanding that lawmakers take action and pass new gun laws.

Students who survived the shooting, which left 17 people dead and more than a dozen injured, visited Florida’s state Capitol earlier this month to call for gun control. Students are also planning a march next month in Washington, D.C., to rally against gun violence.

Students have planned walkouts in schools across the country as a call to action and show of solidarity.

Earlier this month, a superintendent in a Texas school district warned that students would be suspended if they cause any disruptions during the school day to protest gun violence.

A St. Louis high school, meanwhile, would not allow students to return for the rest of the school day after they walked out to protest gun violence earlier this week, and some students said officials threatened to suspend them if they walked out. That claim was disputed by an administrator.