Momentum is building for a 17-minute national school walkout at 10 a.m. on March 14 to protest the deadly school shootings in Parkland, Florida.

So far, organizers at four regional schools have signed on for the walkout — East Stroudsburg South, Parkland, Liberty High in Bethlehem and Nazareth.

The protest is being organized by Women’s March Youth EMPOWER to protest Congress’ inaction in response to the gun violence that has been plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.

“We need action,” an organizing spokeswoman said. She said that students and allies are organizing the walkout to demand that Congress pass legislation to “keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship.”

The killing of 14 students and three adults in Parkland, Florida, last week has energized the anti-gun sentiment, but this time students, rather than adults, are leading the way. The Parkland students boarded buses for a rally at the state capitol in Tallahassee this week, and a national March in Washington, D.C., is planned for next month.

In its statement, the organization said, “The school staff and students have the right to teach and learn in an environment free from the worry of being gunned down in their classrooms or on their way home from school; parents have the right to send their kids to school in the mornings and see them home alive at the end of the day.”

The organizers said that students are not safe in their school, and citizens are not safe in their communities.

“We want Congress to pay attention and take note: many of us will vote this November, and many others will join in 2020. Join us in saying #ENOUGH!” they said.

As sincere and angry as these protesters are, calling for a walkout during a school day is not the answer. Sure, it will get attention, but it will not be effective, nor will it have any long-lasting impact. There also will be many students without the fervor of their peers who will participate as a lark — anything to get out of school, even for a short period of time.

In some cases, school administrators, while supportive of the students’ good intentions, will be unsympathetic to the nature of the protest. This could lead to disciplinary action. The length of the disruption will certainly not be just 17 minutes; more likely, it will be at least an hour, probably longer, until students come back into the classrooms and get settled so the learning process can resume.

I am also concerned about what happens after the 17 minutes are up. Will students return to the school, or will they attempt to lengthen the walkout? There are a lot of things which can go wrong.

If they want to have this kind of a protest, a better idea is to have it on a weekend. That way, just those who feel the passion of their beliefs will participate. Other students, who may have no desire to get involved, will not be impacted by lost class time.

The idea of a walkout is to bring about change, but we also know from experience that one walkout is not going to make a problem that has been around for years just magically go away. Such is the case with the call for fewer and less deadly guns.

Unless this one produces a miracle, walkouts do not typically lead to major changes, sometimes no change, and sometimes the effect is negative and counterproductive. The aim is generally to show resistance and solidarity through the protesters’ physical presence.

An argument against walkouts as a way to protest is that they are just not worth it. They rarely change anyone’s mind, and the protesters risk disciplinary action, depending on the mindset of the school administration.

As with any walkout, there is no guarantee that it will end peacefully. There may be agitators looking to cause problems. Also, let’s not forget that the issue of gun control is a white-hot issue among many Americans who see imposing limits on gun ownership as a direct threat to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Some of these passionate gun-rights supporters may decide to counterprotest, and that’s when an ugly confrontation can occur. If it gets out of hand, it could lead to injuries, property destruction and arrests.

Some may argue that this type of activity can improve students’ civic skills, but some school leaders believe walkouts are a negative trade-off with the school’s academic goals.

I believe these 17 minutes can be better spent urging local members of Congress to take the actions the protesters are seeking. After all, isn’t that the protesters’ principal goal? This seems to be a more direct and, eventually, a more productive course of action that has a much better chance of bringing about results.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com