Benzel said that she questioned her students as to the appropriateness of schools sanctioning a protest against gun violence and whether the school administration was willing to allow protests for other causes, but she noted that she never discouraged her pupils from taking part in the walkout.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going to allow students to walk up and get out of class without penalty then you have to allow any group of students that wants to protest,\u201d Benzel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so I just kind of used the example which I know it\u2019s really controversial, but I know it was the best example I thought of at the time,\u201d Benzel told CBS Sacramento. \u201c[If] a group of students nationwide, or even locally, decided \u2018I want to walk out of school for 17 minutes\u2019 and go in the quad area and protest abortion, would that be allowed by our administration?\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Benzel, her students understood the purpose of her discussion, but on Wednesday, she received notification that she was being placed on leave. While students were walking out of class, Benzel was informed she was being placed on\u00a0paid\u00a0administrative leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t get any backlash from my students. All my students totally understood that there could not be a double standard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
School officials didn\u2019t elaborate on the specific nature of the issue, but released a statement reading in part:<\/p>\n
A Rocklin High School teacher has been placed on paid administrative leave due to several complaints from parents and students involving the teacher\u2019s communications regarding today\u2019s student-led civic engagement activities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Benzel said that she hopes the national student walkout will facilitate broader discussion not focused entirely on second amendment gun rights, but also on free speech.<\/p>\n
Student Nick Wade, who didn\u2019t walk out, told CBS13 that he believes the politics behind the protest played a large role \u2013 and that protests related to a more \u201cconservative\u201d cause would likely be denied by school officials.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like if we were to go to school and say something like I want to walk out maybe for abortion rights, then you know they probably wouldn\u2019t let us because that\u2019s more of a conservative push. But someone wants to say let\u2019s walk out for gun control then the school\u2019s going to go with it because it\u2019s more of a popular view,\u201d said Wade.<\/p>\n
Benzel told the news station that she acquired legal counsel and plans to meet with the school administration on Thursday.<\/p>\n
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