March 28, 2024

Iowa students leave classes, rally against school shootings

IOWA CITY (AP) — Dozens of high school students left their Iowa City classrooms to send a message: School shootings must stop.

Students from at least three schools — City High, West High and South East Junior High — walked Monday to a gathering spot in downtown Iowa City. By 11:45 a.m., an estimated 200 students were chanting in front of the Old Capitol building. Some carried signs decrying gun violence.

A student read the names of the 17 victims of last week’s Parkland, Florida, shooting. The other students repeated the names in unison.

District spokeswoman Kristin Pedersen said in a statement the district applauded the students’ social action and honors their free speech rights. She said students were encouraged to notify their parents if they planned to participate in the walk.