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Listen Tuesdays at 6:45 and 8:45 a.m. on 90.5 WKAR-FMAccording to the Kids Count report of April 2018, 56% of third graders in Michigan are not proficient in English Language Arts. At the same time, some new public school teachers in Michigan are leaving the classroom because they do not earn enough money for a decent living. Virtual and charter schools are on the rise in Michigan. And in some communities there are breakthroughs in raising better readers.Covering education in Michigan is complex, but WKAR is committed to reporting on the problems, searching for solutions, and holding leaders accountable.Listen for Making The Grade in Michigan with WKAR education reporter Kevin Lavery every Tuesday at 6:45 and 8:45 a.m. on 90.5 WKAR-FM's Morning Edition.

Grand Ledge HS Senior Leads Pro-Second Amendment Walkout

students bowing heads
Kevin Lavery
/
WKAR-MSU
Grand Ledge High School senior Zach Bell (left, with megaphone) led several dozen of his classmates in a silent walkout Wednesday in support of the right to bear arms.

There was another walkout at a mid-Michigan high school Wednesday...but not for the reason you might expect. 

 

The national school walkout held March 14 in memory of the victims of the Parkland, Florida shooting drew hundreds of thousands of students.  But senior Zach Bell walked out of Grand Ledge High School to defend the Second Amendment: the right to bear arms. 

 

A military honor guard accompanied Bell as he led a few dozen of his classmates in moments of silence to reflect on police officers, military personnel and others who carry in the name of public safety.

 

“In some of my classes, I took a lot of flak for wanting to do this,” Bell explains.  “But having all these students out here supporting me is really big to me, because it’s a lot more than I had previously expected.”

 

Bell says he wanted to counter the notion that the media paints his generation as anti-Second Amendment. 

 

His plans after high school?  Joining the military.

 

Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
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