LANSDALE: The following is a statement released on March 6th, by the North Penn Board of School Directors, regarding support of high school students advocacy for school safety:

As the country and our community come to terms with yet another senseless act of gun violence, this time at Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the North Penn School District will not succumb to the helpless inaction that so often follows these tragedies.

The young men and women of Parkland, the latest victims of a school shooting,  have told the nation that Enough is Enough, and we agree. The North Penn School Board wholeheartedly supports the students of North Penn High School as they stand in solidarity with the students of Parkland. We admire and encourage the efforts of our students that join countless students nationwide in non-disruptive advocacy for an end to gun violence in our schools. Leadership means facing difficult realities, we support this learning opportunity for our North Penn student body.

The board wants to emphasize to administrators, teachers and students the importance of the right of students to protest in ways that are not disruptive to the school setting. The board encourages appropriate conversation about dissent, civics, and the right to petition government in democratic societies.

As the one-month anniversary of the tragedy approaches, we commend our administration for allowing students to determine their best path forward in expressing themselves in a positive manner while confronting significant and sensitive issues that matter in their lives. We are impressed by the attention to detail and care of the administration’s process in order to facilitate an increased level of civil discourse and a depth of understanding that reinforces the best characteristics of citizenship in our student body.

We would like to build upon this type of engagement with students across the district so that they are empowered and engaged citizens, no matter which side of the gun safety debate they may support. We understand that creating an inclusive, safe, open and constructive learning environment takes a major effort by the administration to address public safety, academic and other logistical priorities. We offer the board’s full support in these matters.