Hundreds of San Jose students held a walkout Friday to protest gun violence.
The demonstration from Willow Glen High School students took place at noon and was also in response to reported shooter threats and gun incidents in schools over the past few weeks throughout the San Jose Unified School District.
"The students have a legitimate concern," Willow Glen High School vice principal Alfonso Gallegos said. "Just in lieu of what's happening across the country - violence on campus and weapons on campus. It's a scary situation to be in."
Hundreds of parents, students and teachers attended a SJUSD board meeting Thursday to voice concerns about school safety.
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"I feel somewhat safe in the sense that I know what to do if someone decides to make my school a graveyard," student Gavin Rust said at the board meeting. "But I don't feel safe in the sense of our response at the district level."
Last week, police arrested a student for taking a loaded ghost gun to Willow Glen High School. A few weeks before that, another student was detained for bringing a loaded gun on campus at Hoover Middle School.
Those who voiced concerns at Thursday's board meeting demanded an improved response plan, mental health support for students following incidents and communication with parents during critical events.
The district released the following statement this week:
"Our schools are a reflection of our community. We have seen an increase in gun violence across the country, in our state, and in our local community. We also live in a time where social media floods people with information that is often not accurate, which dramatically increases anxiety for the entire community. All threats, even when they are not credible, cause significant disruption, emotions, and fears to our students, families, and employees.
Specific to San José Unified, we have protocols in place to address every threat to the safety of students and staff in partnership with SJPD, who have done an outstanding job investigating the credibility of threats made against students, staff, and schools. Every threat is fully investigated with continual reassessment of the safety of our students."
