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Local students, parents prepare to participate in nationwide walkout

Students in schools across the Jacksonville area are preparing to participate in a nationwide walkout on Wednesday.

You might see some crowded parking lots and some empty classrooms Wednesday morning as students send a message one month after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, in which 17 people were killed.

“I really want them to see that it’s not a joke, and we are not just people that don’t have a voice. We have a voice too, and we are the students going to the school,” said Jahzenyah Barber, a student at Atlantic Coast High School.

Barber’s mother is hoping the walkout will bring a change.

“We want the safety of our children to become the top priority from on out,” said Priscilla Woods.

Duval County Public Schools, the St. Johns County School District and schools in Nassau and Putnam County schools tell Action News Jax they’ve been working with students.

Some schools such as River City Science Academy and Bishop Kenny Schools are encouraging students to join them.

“We need to bring awareness, and we need to share our opinions, and we can’t do that if we don’t come together and do something big,” said Barber.

No one who walks out will be disciplined or marked tardy, as long as they’re following the rules set by their individual school.