Please join us in the MSA school walkout, meant to protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.

We have decided to change the time to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 28th, 2018 to better suit the needs of the students.  All you have to do is follow the crowd that will assemble in the courtyard before walking out through the gates.

We will not be crossing Haben Boulevard or any other busy streets, but rather walking and then standing on the sidewalk at ALL times. At no point will we ever step onto the road, other than on the MSA campus in order to pass through the parking lot. Even then, use caution and look both ways.

Please respect the decision of the administration to allow us to express our opinions on gun violence. No profanity of any kind is allowed, whether it's on a sign or spoken.

You are encouraged to wear orange to show support for the Parkland victims and bring your own sign that pertains to the issue of gun violence.

There will also be a moment of silence during the walkout to honor the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting.

This event is estimated to last 20 to 30 minutes, although that is subject to change.

We need action. Students and allies are organizing the national school walkout to demand Congress pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship.

Students and staff have the right to teach and learn in an environment free from the worry of being gunned down in their classrooms or on their way home from school.

Parents have the right to send their kids to school in the mornings and see them home alive at the end of the day.

We are not safe at school. We are not safe in our cities and towns. Congress must take meaningful action to keep us safe and pass federal gun reform legislation that address the public health crisis of gun violence. We want Congress to pay attention and take note: many of us will vote this November and many others will join in 2020.

Provided by the Women's March Network, our demands to Congress, particularly Vern Buchanan, are the following:

Ban Assault Weapons Ban and High Capacity Magazines

Expand Background Checks to All Gun Sales

Pass Federal Gun Violence Restraining Order Law

Fund government research on gun violence

Promote Safe Storage

The issue of gun control is bipartisan, especially when it affects the lives of students and teachers. We’re all so lucky this didn't happen at MSA, and I don't want it to ever happen, anywhere, ever again. There have already been threats made to my school and other nearby schools in Manatee County. I shouldn't have to reconsider attending public school because I feel unsafe, and neither should anyone else.

We’ve practiced so many lockdown drills and heard so many news stories about another school shooting. Columbine, Sandy Hook, and now Parkland. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been over 8,500 shooting incidents this year. 35 of those were mass shootings. It's only been (as of February 28th) 59 days. We’ve become desensitized, and it only hits you when it’s happened to someone you know. We can’t allow it to get that far. Doing something, anything, is better than doing nothing.