DENVER -- Students at Denver-area schools joined students nationwide in walking out of class Wednesday morning to call for action on gun violence.
Thousands of students began walking out of class at about 10 a.m. Many walkouts were scheduled to last for 17 minutes to honor the victims of last month's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
PHOTOS: Denver-area students join nationwide day of walkouts over gun violence
Students are sitting very silently listening as the names are read. Every once in a while I hear sniffles. It’s a very solemn atmosphere here. @DenverChannel pic.twitter.com/WCmV6bsDCT
— Meghan Lopez (@Meghan_Lopez) March 14, 2018
The protests are expected to kick off a wave of similar protests planned in coming weeks-including the March for Our Lives in Washington D.C. scheduled for March 24, and another round of walkouts scheduled for April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.
Fairview High School in Boulder had students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in attendance, along with other speakers and booths for voter registration.
Students from Stoneman Douglas high school take to the stage in the rally held at Fairview high school @DenverChannel pic.twitter.com/ePpvWnvL25
— Sally (@sallymamdooh) March 14, 2018
In Denver, students from several schools planned to march to the state Capitol, while some schools planned to host education sessions about gun control, mental health and inclusiveness inside of schools.
As about 1,000 students from East High School marched to the Capitol, they had an escort from Denver police.
The hive is buzzing today... #DPD officials behind the scenes making sure student #walkout goes off without a hitch in #Denver. #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/FN1j2HMkDL
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) March 14, 2018
Adams 12 Five Star Schools sent a letter home to parents Tuesday night saying they had received about 40 Safe2Tell reports regarding safety concerns and many districts planned to have security on hand.
360: Safety, effects of student protests discussed ahead of planned walkouts in Colorado