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