Just after Memorial Day, hundreds of students in the Twin Cities, walked out of class protesting gun violence. At the time, students including those in middle school, told WCCO Radio they felt uneasy in the wake of the school shooting in Texas.
In less than three weeks, students head back to school. Some say they are still feeling haunted by those mass shootings.
Since the walkout in May, a federal gun safety bill passed, law enforcement agencies have reportedly taken guns off the streets, and local politicians have promised to take more measures.
High School Senior and the Chair of Policy with Minnesota Teen Activists, Teigan Blaine, says more needs to be done.
"Students do feel safe. However, I think it's always in the back of their head that something could happen at their school," he said. "A lot of people are questioning whether they're going to be the next Uvalde, the next Parkland, or the next Sandy Hook."
Now a college freshman, executive director of Minnesota Teen Activists, Jerome Treadwell is encouraging students to turn their fears, into action.
"When school boards have student advisory committees, the students [should] have a vote," suggests Treadwell. "When they have conversations and consult with young people, pay them."
Treadwell believes taking such steps would "create longevity and sustainability for young people who are being impacted by the decisions being made for them."
Maintaining that school shootings are preventable, the Teen Activists want school and community leaders to realize that active shooter drills do not create a climate of safety.
"It's starting to become normalized---in school a lot--- that we have to prepare for this, which we just don't view as acceptable," said Blaine.
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