During fifth period at Walt Whitman high school in Bethesda, Maryland, dozens of students chose to walk out of class for about an hour of Tuesday’s school day.
“This is the world we’re growing up in, and it’s really important that we are politically active,” said Dalia Rees, a junior at the school.
Similar scenes played out at Montgomery Blair High and Dominion High in Sterling, Virginia.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Loudoun County Public Schools have policies that allow students to peacefully demonstrate — and on Tuesday, hundreds of students exercised their rights, joining other walkouts at schools across the country.
Those thousands of students nationwide protested the Trump administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and immigration enforcement that in recent weeks has turned violent.
At Walt Whitman, Rees and her fellow junior Evan Schwartz told News4 they planned the demonstration to protest ICE specifically, after the shooting that killed a Minnesota mother in Minneapolis earlier this month.
The students have demands for their school district.
“One demand is that MCPS promises a policy of non-cooperation with ICE, and we’re hoping for Whitman to educate students about civil liberties.
News4 reached out to MCPS, and a spokesperson shared a statement.
“Our Board of Education and Superintendent have reaffirmed that our schools are safe spaces for every student, regardless of immigration status,” the statement reads in part.
The statement goes on to say that the district has a step-by-step protocol if ICE should come onto campus, including verifying the visitors’ identity and obtaining any official documentation, including warrants and subpoenas.
Still, students News4 spoke with on Tuesday are worried — especially those in the Latino community.
“I have to have conversations with my parents, how are we going to make sure that something doesn’t happen?” said Mariana Spensley-Aguirre, a freshman at Walt Whitman High. “Do I have to carry an ID around that says that I’m a citizen?”
The students at the Walt Whitman walkout told News4 that they will receive an unexcused absence for the walkout, and added that they got permission from their parents before participating.
News4 has also reached out to ICE about the walkouts that took place in the D.C. area on Tuesday. We are waiting to hear back.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
