In Georgia, a student from Midtown High School is calling out her school’s administration, claiming that she and more than 100 other students were disciplined for participating in a school walkout protesting ICE actions and policies connected to the Trump administration. In a TikTok video, the student explained that the walkout was organized to protest ICE raids and to stand in solidarity with students across the country who have been directly impacted by immigration enforcement.
According to her, the students attempted to follow proper channels by informing the school administration ahead of time that they planned to protest. Instead of allowing the walkout to be recognized as a student-led protest, the teen claimed the administration reframed the event as a school-organized pep rally and limited it to 30 minutes. She said that when students were later given the opportunity to speak, the emotional responses from those in attendance were dismissed by administrators.
“I was one of the speakers,” the girl said in the video. “People in the stadium were crying, and the administration laughed at them, saying it wasn’t that serious.” When the students refused to return to class afterward as a form of protest, multiple authority figures, including a police officer and the principal, reportedly approached the girl to downplay the situation and discourage further action. “They tried to tell me that we were taking away from people in class,” she said. “Like ICE hasn’t been doing that to hundreds of students across the country.”
The Aftermath
During her narration of the event, the student briefly held up a detention slip, which she claimed she and more than 100 other students received for participating in the walkout, suggesting this was the punishment handed down for their actions. She also said that one student received in-school suspension despite not being the person who initiated the protest or encouraged others to sit down. “If they were going to suspend someone, it should have been me,” the teen said. “They were doing it as an example.”
She emphasized that the punishment felt less about maintaining order and more about silencing dissent. According to her, the administration’s response made it clear that student voices were not being taken seriously, even when those voices were advocating for the rights and safety of others. “Why are we punishing students for protesting? Why are we punishing students for protesting the rights of others?” she asked.
The teen ended her video by calling on adults to pay attention and take action rather than leaving the burden of protest to minors. “The fact that minors have to fight for your rights and you’re not helping them out is insane,” she said.
Ever since the video was uploaded to TikTok, viewers in the comments section have voiced support for the Atlanta student, encouraging her to “keep fighting for what’s right” and praising her for “doing the right thing.”
