Threatened With Punishment, Hinsdale Students To Join Walkout Anyway

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Some school districts have warned students they could be punished for walking out to join Wednesday's national demonstration in support of gun control, but some high schoolers in Hinsdale plan to join the effort no matter what.

Hinsdale Township High School District 86 has told parents and students it knows some students plan to walk out on Wednesday, and while it encourages them to express their political views, the district said it must keep students safe, and cannot give them permission to walk out of school.

Still, many students to walk out at 10 a.m.

Those who do will face disciplinary action, based on each person's behavior on Wednesday, and in the past.

"Walking out of class puts students in a potentially unsafe situation and disrupts the learning environment," the principals at Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central told parents in a letter last week.

RELATED: Chicago Area Students Prepare For National Walkout | Thousands Of Catholic Chicago Students Joining National School Walkout | Romeoville High School Student Walkout Postponed After Online Threat

Hundreds of people have signed a change.org petition asking District 86 to reconsider punishment of students who walk out, citing their right to free speech.

A small group of students already made noise in Hinsdale last week, with adults backing them.

"They leave the school grounds for fire drills. We have lockout drills. They go outside and watch the solar eclipse. So why not go outside? It's 17 minutes we're talking about," District 86 parent Andrea Thome said.

An Instagram account called HCHS Walkout has asked students to keep Wednesday's demonstration "peaceful." That includes no pushing to get out the door.

The district has said no visitors will be allowed on either high school campus on Wednesday. Meantime, at nearby Monroe Elementary School, parents planned to sign their students out of school to join the 17-minute walkout.