Some Cobb County high schoolers have begun to learn what their punishment will be for walking out last week as part of nationwide protest against gun violence.
Wheeler High School walkout organizer Rhea Singi said many of the 11 students who walked out of school received one day of in-school suspension, but some received no punishment. Rhea said the punishment so far is not as harsh as had been threatened before the walkout, but students are confused because not everyone was suspended.
Parents and students at North Cobb and Pope high schools also said students who walked out or demonstrated have received in-school suspensions. At Pope High School, where an organizer estimated about 100 students walked out, students reported that they received notices of their in-school suspension on Wednesday morning.
District spokesman John Stafford declined to answer a reporter’s questions because, he said, the “district cannot discuss specifics of student discipline.” Requests to interview Superintendent Chris Ragsdale have not been granted.
“Schools are in the process of administering appropriate consequences to students who violated the Student Code of Conduct,” Stafford said, in an email statement.
Cobb County School District took a strict stance in the weeks leading up to the walk outs. Officials told students they would be punished for leaving class but did not specify what exactly the discipline would be.
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