Students from several Omaha Catholic high schools are traveling together in protest this weekend.

Marian, Mercy, Creighton Prep and Duchesne students left Thursday for a trip to the Army's Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly called the School of the Americas, in Fort Benning, Ga. They will return Monday.

The school trains soldiers, police and civilians from foreign countries. The training includes human-rights education and military tactics.

Critics say some of the tactics have been used to oppress civilians. A United Nations report tied 19 graduates to the 1989 slayings of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter in El Salvador.

Every November near the anniversary of the massacre, thousands converge on Fort Benning, calling on the government to close the school. Many protesters are from Jesuit high schools or universities.

The institute says it doesn't teach its trainees to abuse human rights and that it shouldn't be blamed for those who do.

The purpose of the Catholic students' trip is to walk in solidarity with the Jesuit community, a Marian High spokeswoman said. Students spent months preparing for the trip with class discussions, small and large group meetings, videos and anti-violence workshops.

While in Georgia, the students also will attend the annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, where speakers, from high school students to bishops, will address a variety of justice issues.