After the mass murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, a series of walkouts were planned by some students in conjunction with well-established, pro-gun control political groups. NAS President Peter Wood explains in an article at Minding the Campus that the walkouts violate the academic freedom - part of which is the freedom to learn - of all students, and particularly those that disagree with the walkouts.
Walking out elevates a feeling of moral urgency above respect for education and the rights of fellow students. Walking out during regular school hours is meant to dramatize how deeply students are touched by the latest school massacre and how strongly they support legislative remedies. The walkouts, of course, won’t change the surrounding debate over Second Amendment rights. The students may hope to persuade elected officials to “do something” to stop the scourge of mass killings in schools. But what they are really doing is mistaking moral vanity for genuine “participation in democracy.”
Read the whole article at Minding the Campus.
Image Credit: Public Domain
