BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — Students and staff at a Maine middle school have staged a walkout in a protest against bullying.

WCSH-TV reports several hundred students participated in the Friday morning walkout at Biddeford Middle School.

Eighth-grader Rebecca Hatt says she’s experienced bullying due to her sexuality and her religion, and she says it’s common in the school.

Student Cam Roberge says he wants other students to feel they can come to school without “dreadful fear.”

The state Department of Education reports there were more than 1,400 instances of bullying in the 2017-2018 school year. The most common cases were cyberbullying and physical bullying.

School administrators say they are working to combat the issue and stand by the students’ efforts