Friday is the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado. It was the deadliest in U.S. history, until 17 people were killed in Parkland, Fla. this February. Students at Aspen High School are joining walkouts around the country to protest continuing gun violence.
At 10 a.m., Aspen High School students will leave class and make their way to Paepke Park, where speakers will address the crowd.
Zoe Cramer, a junior, is one of the event’s organizers and said the walk-out is about feeling safe. "It shouldn’t be a concern when I enter the doors of my school that something might happen to me and I might not make it home that day," she said.
She expects somewhere between 200 and 300 attendees.
Aspen High School principal Tharyn Mulberry said students who leave Friday won’t be penalized. "In this particular case, we will be honoring students that leave for that … and be allowing an excused absence," he said.
A group of students in Carbondale is planning their own demonstration. Due to weather, it’s been rescheduled for next Friday, April 27.
