Wednesday morning, thousands of Tampa Bay area students participated in a nationwide school walkout in response to the Parkland shooting.
It has been a month since officials say Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people.
The nationwide walkouts are meant to be both a memorial and a protest.
Students, teachers and staff across the country walked out of their schools at 10 a.m. on March 17 for 17 minutes to honor the lives of the 17 people killed at Stoneman Douglas and press lawmakers to pass stricter gun control laws.
“I hope they take away a sense of you do have a voice, and also not to waste your chance. A lot of the kids at Stoneman Douglas didnt have a chance to make it to their senior year and a lot of the people in the stands have that chance for a future and I hope they don’t waste that chance,” said William Wallace, junior at CHS.
News Channel 8 has learned several local schools participated, including schools in Sarasota, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco county.
In the weeks that followed the Valentine’s Day shooting in Parkland, Florida, bay area students organized walkouts to remember the victims.
