I’m a proud graduate of Colquitt County schools. I was my graduating class’s STAR student and president of the A Cappella Choir. I went to college at Yale and graduate school at the University of Michigan. I’m now a successful software engineer. I owe a lot of my success to Colquitt County’s schools.

I’m disappointed and embarrassed at how the school system handled last March’s National School Walkout in protest of gun violence. In thousands of schools the country, students left their classroom for 18 minutes and protested gun violence in response to the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Most schools facilitated those demonstrations, honoring students’ desire to exercise their Constitutional rights and participate in civic life. Colquitt County, in contrast to thousands of its peers, banned the protest and publicly humiliated those attempting to participate.

Superintendent Doug Howell was wrong to ban the protest. His explanation for doing so was hogwash.

Howell claimed the school system could not accommodate the protests safely. But Colquitt County keeps thousands of students safe for hours every day. To claim the school system is incapable of keeping at most a few dozen students safe for less than 20 minutes in the middle of the school day is absurd on its face. It bears repeating: thousands of other school systems kept their students safe during the walkout. Colquitt County could have, as well.

Howell also claimed that it the walkout was impermissible because the school system could not participate in a political protest. That’s wrongheaded: allowing students to participate in political speech is not the same as the school system itself participating. Public schools around Georgia allow officially sanctioned religious clubs, such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and political clubs, such as Young Republicans or Young Democrats. No one mistakes the existence of such clubs for the school systems themselves participating in religion or politics. Likewise, student participation is different than school system participation. As an alumnus, I’m embarrassed that Colquitt County’s leaders display such civic ignorance and lack of critical thinking. Colquitt County expects better than that from the teenagers in its social studies classes.

Even if the school system didn’t allow the protest, there was no reason to be so punitive. The school system chose to punish protesting students to the maximum extent allowed by law. Other school systems that did not allow the walkout nevertheless showed leniency to students attempting to protest. Colquitt County should have exercised the same discretion. Instead, Howell instructed school administrators to use every legal means available to humiliate and bully the students who wanted to participate. It was unnecessary.

Howell and the school system should apologize; Colquitt County students deserve the same respect given to students across the country. I hope that students, parents, alumni, and community members hold school system leaders to a higher standard this year and in the future.

Michael Harris

New Haven, Conn.