Students at Antioch High School near Nashville, Tenn., held a second peaceful walkout Thursday after some students at the high school on Wednesday tore down a flag and jumped on a cop car during the walkout.
Students at a high school outside of Nashville, Tenn., knew the chaotic videos from their Wednesday walkout didn’t exactly show the student body in the best light.
Some Antioch High School students jumped on a cop car during what was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration for action on gun laws, according to police. Others tugged down an American flag. There were even multiple fights, the school district said, and about 20 students are now facing disciplinary action, the Tennessean reports.
So on Thursday, about 100 students decided to try again: They walked out a second time, WSMV reports.
Students took the flag that had been torn down and raised it back up, the TV station reports. The school’s band played the national anthem as the flag was raised. The students also had 17 minutes of silence on Thursday in honor of the 17 students who were killed during a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., a month ago — the deadly event that inspired thousands and thousands of students to walkout across the country on Wednesday.
Antioch’s principal planned the Thursday event, WSMV reports. Only some of the student body was allowed to attend.
Students who participated said they hoped it made up for Wednesday’s tumultuous attempt.
“To me, there isn’t just one image of people tearing down the flag anymore,” Amanda Arias, a 17-year-old who plays in the school’s band, told the Tennessean. “People can see that we aren’t about that. We don’t support that.”
Some students at the school said Wednesday’s walkout wasn’t a fair portrayal of the school.
“The videos that circulated on social media simply got the handful of kids who decided to act and make the incorrect choices,” Fares Ali, a senior at the high school, told WSMV. “They didn’t get the students that were standing with signs and actually want to be a part of the protest.”
No students were injured in the walkout at the high school Wednesday, Fox 17 reports.
“Unfortunately, some students on our Antioch campus today chose to protest in ways that significantly disrupted school operations and threatened the safety and order for other students and staff within our school,” district spokesperson Michelle Michaud told Fox 17 the day of the incident. “Swift action was taken by school security and [police] to address the situation.”
But across the rest of Nashville — and the rest of the country — the student walkouts were peaceful.
“I wish we could have done the protest the right way the first day rather than having to do this all again,” Jaylon Savely, an 18-year-old trumpet player in the school’s band, told the Tennessean.
Video of the chaos from Wednesday has been shared and viewed thousands of times on Facebook.
