GCS Media Guidelines for March 14, 2018

For safety reasons we have discouraged students from walking outside of a secured location, and instead asked them to provide indoor alternatives.  The intended purpose of this national movement is to support gun control legislation, a highly sensitive political topic.  Instead of polarizing students, we have asked them to unify and focus on kindness, remembrance and building a safer school climate.

These are not public events.  These are private, student led activities that have been organized and implemented by young people/minors during the school day while they are in our care.

Because of the many unknowns of that day the school district is taking an “all hands on deck” approach for supervision and school safety.  We will have extra administrators and law enforcement at our schools to keep students safe.  We cannot spare the extra personnel to assist, or provide protection to media or other outside visitors.

These activities are VOLUNTARY.  We do not want any students to feel pressured to participate or feel embarrassed for abstaining.  We don’t want the presence of media to provide public pressure, or have students act out for the sake of the camera.  Tensions may already be high, we don’t want cameras to become a magnet for chaos.

The school district has an experienced communications team who will be “on duty” at our schools and can provide video and photographs of student events that occur.  We can ensure that the students who are photographed have parental permission for publication. 

Many of the events are somber, to be held in silence, and are a time for reflection.  We want to allow students the space and time to do that. 

School campuses will be opened to media at 12pm and requests for student interviews will be granted upon request.