SHARON, Pa. - In Sharon, in place of a walkout there was a school assembly focused on safety in the building. However not all parents were happy with the way Wednesday's program was planned. 

Parents tell  21 News they got letters from the school saying if they did not want their child to participate in Wednesday's assembly they would have to sign it and send it in so they would not have to take part.  Some parents say that didn't make any sense to them.

Our cameras caught Sharon students reading the names of the victims of the Florida shooting.  But at least one parent wanted to know why he had to go out of his way to make sure his 13 year old didn't have to be part of today's assembly.

Bob Perlik, said, "They are almost forced to do it. if we didn't sign a permission slip then they had to attend"

Sharon's middle school principal, Mike Fitzgerald,  said the assembly would not be political and would instead focus on student ideas to better protect them while in school.  Those ideas would then be sent to the school board.

"We've talked to our kids and they said they want to avoid a political agenda and that was good to hear from them because they understand the difference between politics and the educational component. We want to focus on the educational component and what's going on inside our walls whether it's bullying, harassing or the violence going on across the nation with the school shootings," said Fitzgerald.

But some parents believe the root agenda of the national walkout is far from getting students concerned about school safety.

"That's not what the letter suggested at all. The letter said they would be participating in the national walkout but when you look at the walkout and how it's portrayed, it is a gun control movement," added Perlik.

Some students who did not want to speak on camera said they felt they would be portrayed as insensitive or a bad person if they didn't take part.  They didn't know if Wednesday's events were more about gun control or for honoring the student victims.