Homewood students join nationwide walkout

More than 1,100 students in Homewood – from elementary to high school – left their classrooms this morning as part of a nationwide 17-minute walkout in honor of the school shooting victims in Parkland, Florida.

On Feb. 14, a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killed 17 students and teachers. In the wake of that school shooting, students in Parkland have begun speaking and organizing events to ask for new legislation to help prevent future shootings. The planned 17-minute walkout at 10 a.m. today had participation at schools across the U.S.

Homewood City Schools did not allow reporters to attend the walkouts, but spokesperson Merrick Wilson said the school system tried to keep walkout as student-led as possible. Elementary school students met outside and walked and talked together for the 17 minutes. At Homewood Middle School, students made a poster and honored a minute of silence for each of the 17 victims.

Homewood High School students gathered on campus to take turns speaking. They continued the walkout for an additional minute in honor of Courtlin Arrington, who was shot and killed at Huffman High School in downtown Birmingham on March 7.

"The students talked about the importance of caring and loving each other and how they could work together to end violence," Wilson said Wednesday afternoon.