Across the U.S., anti-ICE protests have been held in many major cities due to immigration enforcement presence in major cities. Many of these protests are held by adults and organizations. However, students are speaking up and letting their feelings be heard as well. On some occasions, these included students holding anti-ICE walkouts. This is a way of protesting that involves teens leaving school grounds and protesting their feelings on ICE-related matters. At one Virginia high school, a walkout led to stern consequences and now hundreds of students are suspended.
A video shared by @7newsdc shows hundreds of students at Virginia’s Woodbridge High School during an anti-ICE protest. The protest took place during school hours. A newscaster says that “over 300 students have been suspended” for choosing to participate in the walkout. The school responded and said their reasoning behind the suspensions is because the students “left campus grounds.” It’s likely that protesting on grounds would have not led to the suspension, as student’s rights to protest are guarded by Supreme Court.
According to 7NewsDC, the local Prince William County Police Department provided an escort for the teens. This was so that the students could safely walk down the road and protest, then returning to class. However, she says that many students continued walking instead of returning to campus. Instead of engaging in the protest, they continued walking home or walked two miles to a nearby shopping center. Some of the teens did end up returning to school but they allegedly “made a disturbance inside the school” upon their return. It’s called peaceful protesting for a reason and it appears things got a little out of hand at this particular school.
Students at Woodbridge have since turned to social media to plan a second walk-out within the week. Only time will tell what comes of that and if they follow through. The school stands by its decision to suspend the students. In a letter sent to parents, the principal at Woodbridge explained that “walkouts are a form of expression” but students were supposed to remain on campus the entire time. Otherwise, the students are “free to express their views on an issue that is important to them.”
One commenter suggested, “The school should have made it a teachable moment!” Another hilariously pointed out, “The punishment for leaving school is… not to come to school?”
