Last Wednesday thousands of students across the nation walked out of classrooms.  Many were lauded for their actions, some were punished for their actions, and some were not permitted to participate in the walkout.

            Some students chose to participate in the walkout, and some chose not to.  The keyword for them is chose and we should respect their choice.

            Some of the students who chose to participate in the walkout may have walked right into a political firestorm.  It shouldn't be that way.

            According to numbers from USA today, students from nearly 3,000 schools across the United States left their classrooms at 10 a.m. to show solidarity for the 17 killed in the attack on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

            There were school officials who supported the walkout and permitted students to participate in it.  There were even officials who participated in it themselves.

            There were some school officials who decided not to permit students to walk out of school.  In some cases alternative "in-school" events took place.  Many officials cited safety concerns as their reason.

            You may have agreed with the decisions of school officials or you may have disagreed.  That is your prerogative.

            But, either way we should respect the decisions of the students and the officials.  We may or may not agree, but we should respect them.

            Whether there was a walkout at your school or not, it is school officials who are charged with the safety of the students and how best to deal with events within and during school hours.

            The students who participated, wanted to participate, and chose not to participate in the walkout are equally to be respected because they had the opportunity to make their decisions and did so.

            Punishment meted out to students who walked out in schools where it was not permitted is a subject for the public and officials of that school district to discuss and, hopefully, provide satisfactory answers.

            Properly presenting and explaining decisions made is a major part of resolving differences – arrogance has no place in public discussions.  "My way or the highway" presentations will only alienate others.

            Another major part of resolving differences is a willingness to listen to all sides of an argument before taking a stand.

            In the end you may still disagree, but fully understanding the position of others is vitally important before making your final decision.