Dear U-32 Community,

I am writing to clarify how the school will respond to an organized protest or walkout by students and/or staff.
Our vision states that we "exist to nurture and inspire in all students the passion, creativity, and power to
contribute to their local and global community." This vision is reflected in the Transferable Skills that are
defined in our Student Learning Outcomes. We expect our students to be proficient in effective and
expressive communication, engaged citizenship, ​and ​self-awareness and self-direction. All of this means that
we value and support our students as they engage with the community through civil action.
Our student group, Seeking Social Justice, is organizing and joining the nationwide walkout on Wednesday,
March 14, for 17 minutes, from 10:00-10:17 am.
As stated by the Seeking Social Justice group:
The nationwide walkout, sponsored by The Women's March Network, seeks to draw attention to the
fact that historically politicians have not taken action on gun violence, and that now is the time for
students to take the call for change into their own hands. This is an important issue to our school
community​​; it’s our lives at stake.
● Students and staff have the right to learn and teach in an environment free from fear 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 all have the right to live free from fear and violence in our community.

All of U-32's students may not wish to participate in this walkout and administration supports those students as
well. The U-32 community has a broad range of opinions and beliefs about the issues related to school
violence and school shootings, and we will strive to provide space for all students to have a respectful and
compassionate voice. Students who do not wish to participate should remain in their classrooms with their
teachers and should feel no obligation to attend. Students who do wish to participate should do so with no
fear of reprisal from the school or others.
I have asked the Seeking Social Justice group to create additional opportunities for students to have their
voices heard, and we will start with a dialogue in the auditorium during call back on Wednesday. Students
who wish to be a part of this call back should sign up with Steven Dellinger-Pate for that time. U-32 will
continue to provide all students a place for respectful dialogue where they can express, debate, hear opinions​,
and come to their own conclusions about how they should be involved with the community.
For our staff, the walkout poses some dilemmas.
First, this walkout is about student voice and as such, is not being organized by adults. We do not want to
create a situation where adults are speaking at or ​to students. Instead, it is our job to teach and support
students in finding their voice and using it to speak up for what they believe. This walkout is specific to this
cause, but other students may be more interested in other causes ​about which​ they are just as passionate.
Second, teachers and other staff do not lose their first amendment rights simply because they work for U-32.
However, staff are responsible for all students whether that student chooses to protest or not. If students in a
class wish to participate, I do not want any teacher to make them feel like they can't​. Also, ​any student who
does not wish to participate should not be made to feel that they should. Teachers are asked to stay in their
classrooms with any students who remain in class. I​f all students ​in a class voluntarily choose to join​ the
protest, I ask that the teacher accompany them to help provide supervision. Any teacher or staff person who
is not assigned a duty or class can join administration as we supervise the protest. There are other ways that
staff can use to show their support of a certain political or social view, they can protest, they can demonstrate,
they can write Op-Ed's etc. However, as employees of the school district they do not have the right to
demonstrate or protest during time in which they are assigned to work with students.
Overall, U-32 has to provide a safe and welcoming space that is free from disruption so our students can
learn. We will support our students in becoming engaged citizens. What we cannot allow is students using
the protest as a way to demean others, create chaos, or disrupt the school. Students should attend the
protest if they agree with the cause, not just because they can get out of class. Seeking Social Justice has
worked with ​the administration to plan this protest; students with other concerns should do the same. I am
asking all students who participate to be informed, to be safe, and to be respectful.
​"​
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character -
that is the goal of true education.
​"​
--Martin Luther King, Jr.

--
Steven Dellinger-Pate
Principal
U-32 Middle/High School
930 Gallison Hill Road
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 229-0321