March 9, 2018
Dear Needham Public Schools' Families:
There has been significant national and local conversation about a student
walkout planned for Wednesday, March 14th from 10:00-10:17 a.m. The walkout
is meant to commemorate the one month anniversary of the February 14th
Parkland, Florida shooting at M.S. Douglas High School. While this is
generally not a topic in which our elementary students have been involved,
students at Pollard and Needham High School have expressed to
administrators and teachers their desire to participate at some level in
the national walk out.
We support and encourage student voice and civic engagement at every level
in the Needham Public Schools; in fact, one of our core values is
*Citizenship*. The Needham Public Schools defines citizenship as:
*Contributing
to an environment that nurtures respect, integrity, compassion, and
service. Students and staff acknowledge and affirm responsibilities they
have toward one another, their schools, and a diverse local and global
community. *As a result, we have engaged and invested in K-12 curriculum,
including social studies courses and programs, school visits to the
Statehouse, mock Town Meetings, legislator visits to classrooms, trips to
our Nation’s Capital, community service learning, and a variety of other
opportunities designed to help students understand their role and
responsibility in a democratic society. Additionally, active student
groups, like student councils, provide our young people with an opportunity
to share ideas, make plans, and impact their schools and their lives.
We also recognize that as educators, our first and most critical
responsibility is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students.
Nothing else is more important.
Therefore, on March 14th in response to the possibility of students
engaging in the national walkout, we will use the following to guide our
planning and work at each of the schools in Needham:
• March 14, 2018 will be a regular school day for all students. All
teachers will be in class working with their students as planned.
• Students are expected to attend their classes as they normally would.
• In the event a student leaves class to participate in the walkout, the
teacher will remain in the classroom to continue the lesson and notify the
office that a student(s) has left unaccompanied.
• If students remove themselves from class to walkout, they will be
directed by the building principal to assemble in designated areas where
adults can maintain supervision and safety. At the conclusion of the 17
minutes, students will be expected to return to classes.
• Students who participate in a walkout will be expected to make up any
work missed according to the teachers' availability.
• While the school staff will supervise students at all times, both inside
and outside the classroom, school staff will not promote or participate in
any activities associated with the proposed walkout.
The principals of the Needham Public Schools will continue to work with
student leaders around this issue, and the principals will send out
additional information as appropriate and based on the needs of their
individual school.
Thank you for understanding that we must balance our roles as educators who
strive to empower student voice with the need for ensuring student and
school safety and wellbeing.
Sincerely,
Dan Gutekanst
Superintendent
Needham Public Schools
