SAN ANTONIO – Students at several high schools across San Antonio walked out Friday to protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations nationwide.
Organizers of an unaffiliated protest downtown said more than 30 area schools participated in the walkout. KSAT covered some of these protests including the ones held at Alamo Heights, Brandeis, Jefferson and O’Connor high schools.
Many of the walkouts were organized by local students through announcements on social media.
District leaders were aware of the protests, according to multiple letters obtained by KSAT 12 News.
Most said they supported the right to protest but said students would be marked absent if they left campus and protested during instructional time.
San Antonio ISD said it provided an on-campus space to protest during their lunch periods, or before or after school.
Some parents and community members joined off-campus protests to provide support for students.
“They need their voice to be heard,” Cynthia Galan Longoria said. “They’re going to be 18. They’re going to vote.”
The protests came after approximately 30 to 40 students at Taft High School walked out last week during a lunch period to protest against ICE operations in the country.
“The reports I have received are that the students were not disruptive and returned back inside after the lunch period,” a Northside ISD spokesperson said in a statement to KSAT. “I am told the only consequences are for students who may have been late to their academic classes.”
The district also said campus administrators were outside to monitor the students.
A parent told KSAT in a phone interview on Thursday that she believes these planned protests will have an influential impact on their community.
“It’s very important. I think, as parents, if our children are interested in participating, then we should be actively supporting them,” Mitzi Perez said. “Just as the schools should be actively supporting them … in a neutral way.”
Read the statements KSAT has received from school districts around San Antonio below:
While we respect students’ rights to express their individual views, our highest priorities are maintaining student safety and preserving the learning environment for all students. I have met with the student organizer(s) to seek clarification, better understand the intent of the event, and explain the potential challenges and unintended consequences that may arise from actions that disrupt the instructional day.
Should students choose to participate in a protest/walkout, they will be considered truant from class and will receive an unexcused absence. Additionally, if a student is truant for any reason and then returns to campus, they may be subject to search and disciplinary consequences. If the event results in a significant disruption to learning, or if students engage in profanity, vandalism, or violence on school property, disciplinary consequences may include detention, In-School Suspension, Out-of-School Suspension, or a recommendation for an alternative educational setting.
NEISD spokesperson
As addressed yesterday by the Jay HS Principal: the best place for students during the school day is in the classroom, engaged in learning. While we do not encourage students to miss instructional time, we also recognize the importance of student voice. As such, we are not preventing students from expressing their views. Students have been informed that attendance does matter, and participation in a walkout during the school day constitutes an unexcused absence. If students choose to participate, they are asked to do so safely and respectfully.
We will adhere to our student attendance protocols as a natural consequence for a student missing an academic class.
NISD spokesperson
In SAISD, students are allowed to exercise their rights to peacefully protest, and we give them a safe on-campus space to do so during their lunch periods, or before or after school. We do not recommend nor encourage off-campus protest. While we encourage student voice, we also encourage safety – and our wish would be for them to remain safely on campus.
It is important to know that participation off-campus is not a district-sanctioned event. If a student leaves the campus and misses class to participate, they will be subject to consequences that follow the student code of conduct.
SAISD spokesperson
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