At exactly 1 p.m. Thursday, a small group of students at Yaakoosge Daakahidi Alternative High School stepped into the snowy and windy afternoon, knowing that they wouldn\u2019t be let back in for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n
Led by senior Kiara Christopherson, they walked to a spot near the flagpole in front of the school and stood there for 17 minutes despite a winter storm warning being in effect. Each minute was to honor one of the 17 victims of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s YDHS school policy that if students leave the building during the school day, YDHS Principal Kristin Garot explained, they are not allowed back in class until the end of the session, either the morning or the afternoon session. Leaving in the middle of their third-period class at 1 p.m. Thursday, Christopherson and her classmates weren\u2019t going to be allowed back in until school ended at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still need to voice our opinions or nothing is going to be done about it,\u201d Christopherson said. \u201c\u2026 One small statement could change someone\u2019s life. It could save someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christopherson, along with seniors Nathaniel Hensley-Williams, Aunna Hodson and Delilah Maki, juniors Joseph Casulucan and Nick Porter and freshman Tray Lee, stood out in the wind and shared experiences about times they felt threatened in school.<\/p>\n
They reflected on bomb threats that had happened during their time in school in Juneau, and Porter recalled the threat of a school shooting<\/a> at Thunder Mountain High School during the previous school year. The main intent of the demonstration was to show their support for the victims of the shooting and that violence in schools affects students across the nation.<\/p>\n Christopherson said her cousin was killed in a school shooting about 15 years ago, and said she doesn\u2019t want her friends or future children to have to deal with violence at school.<\/p>\n The students said some teachers were in favor of their demonstration while other teachers were not. The students began planning the gesture Wednesday and said they believed Garot and the teachers were on board. When they arrived at school Thursday, they said, the school\u2019s stance had changed.<\/p>\n Garot said she had only heard rumblings of the demonstration taking place, and said she was supportive of the students. She still felt she had to go by the school\u2019s policy, though.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I let them in, it\u2019s that idea that I have to be equitable,\u201d Garot said. \u201cIf I kicked someone out yesterday, or not let them come back in if they chose to leave, I have to stick by the policies and procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n Students were still able to stand in the lobby afterward, but were not allowed past the front desk.<\/p>\n In a statement, Juneau School District Superintendent Mark Miller said he supports students exercising their right to express themselves, but it needs to be done safely and responsibly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also understand our responsibility to ensure that schools are safe and organized places of learning for all students regardless of their beliefs and views,\u201d Miller said in the statement. \u201cWe will continue to work with all students to ensure they can responsibly exercise their First Amendment rights within a safe and organized school environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The Juneau School District has taken strides in recent years to improve its response to an active shooter<\/a>. In 2014, a student brought a gun to TMHS and the district\u2019s alert system didn\u2019t notify parents until long after the incident was resolved. Misinformation spread quickly<\/a>.<\/p>\n