Education Week - February 23, 2022 - 4

When Students Walk Out in Protest,
Here's What Administrators Should Do
Administrators
must balance
student safety,
respect for
speech rights
By Evie Blad
When students said they would
walk out of their Iowa City schools
to call for action on climate change,
then-Superintendent Stephen Murley
didn't panic or call on principals to
lock the doors.
Instead, the district coordinated
with local police to block traffic at
busy intersections along the planned
route of the 2019 march. Some parents
and administrators volunteered
to walk alongside the students-not to
control them but to ensure they stayed
safe. And school leaders made a plan
to communicate with parents about
their response.
" Obviously, we want kids in class, "
Murley, now the superintendent of
Green Bay, Wis., schools, said in an
interview. " If they are not in class, we
want to make sure that what they are
doing is safe. "
When students walk out in protest
over issues ranging from school policies
to national political concerns, it can
cause massive disruption and student
safety challenges, three administrators
with experience in such situations told
Education Week. But, handled well,
the protests can give students a chance
to explore and understand their constitutional
rights, express their fears, and
process powerful emotions.
The key is building a culture of listening
to students well before they choose
to walk out and, when they do leave the
building, have plans in place to keep
them safe. Educators must also be careful
to remain impartial, regardless of the
nature of students' concerns, and to respect
civil liberties in the process.
" We can be mad about it, or we
can listen to it and hopefully learn
from it and grow from it, " said Kenny
Rodrequez, the superintendent of
Grandview, Mo., schools, who communicated
with students in advance
of a 2018 demonstration.
Around the country, a surge of
walkouts have tested educators in
recent months, especially as the
COVID-19 pandemic has brought
increased urgency to use in-person
class time to help students stay on
track academically.
Students have left their classrooms
to call attention to a variety of causes.
In Douglas County, Colo., hundreds
walked out Feb. 7 after the district's
school board voted to fire its superintendent.
Oakland students walked out
Feb. 1 to protest the planned closure of
schools following enrollment declines.
Above: Esme Thorne, 13,
speaks during a walkout
at Tompkins Square Middle
School on Dec. 10, 2021,
in the New York City
borough of Manhattan.
Minneapolis students
gathered outside U.S. Bank
Stadium in April 2021 as
part of a statewide student
walkout to protest racial
injustice.
where teens rushed to coordinate a
demonstration 48 hours after the 2017
acquittal of white police officer Jason
Stockley in the death of Anthony
Lamar Smith, a 24-year-old Black
man from St. Louis.
The region had seen massive protests
following the 2014 death of Michael
Brown in nearby Ferguson, and
students were still asking big questions
about race and justice, Superintendent
Sharonica Hardin-Bartley
said.
But, because they knew administrators
respected their grief, students
approached them in advance,
she said. With some feedback, they
planned to leave school at the beginning
of the day, to remain on school
grounds, and to return to the classroom
after a 15-minute gathering
that included a moment of silence.
" We just created the space for them
to really get their emotions out, "
Hardin-Bartley said. " They were very
angry. They were very hurt. And we
just let them feel. "
Create a culture of student voice
Fostering trust and communication
with students must be an ongoing effort,
said Rodrequez, the Grandview
superintendent, who worked with the
students who walked out in the 2018
gun violence protests. His biggest
concern that day was that gun rights
activists might counterprotest, so he
coordinated with city police to avoid
potential confrontations.
" I think the goal is you have to priStudents
in Minnesota walked out Feb.
8 in response to the police killing of
Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man,
as they carried out a no-knock warrant.
And around the country, students
have walked out both to call for stronger
COVID-19 protocols in schools
and to protest mask requirements.
School administrators sometimes
coordinate with student organizers
There's no national data on student
walkouts, but school administrators
who spoke to Education Week said
they've seen an increase in such demonstrations
since the massive youth
protests following the 2018 school
shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School in Parkland, Fla. That
attack, which killed 17 people, quickly
led to the biggest swell of youth activism
in recent history.
Students in rural towns and urban
districts left their schools-and adults
paid attention.
" I think it showed students a lever
they hadn't had access to before, " said
Murley, the Green Bay superintendent.
4 | EDUCATION WEEK | February 23, 2022 | www.edweek.org
The October 2019 Iowa City walkout
ended with a march to rally with
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg,
who herself had made global
headlines by skipping school for
" climate strikes " and was in town as
part of a U.S. tour. But it was far from
the first the district had seen. Previously,
a group of middle schoolers in
the liberal college town had walked
out repeatedly to call for changes in
school energy consumption.
Murley quickly learned that students
were willing to share their plans
beforehand if they believed school
leaders respected their efforts. That
gave adults time to coordinate with
law enforcement and communicate
with teachers.
" If the kids know that the building
administrative team is not working
to shut them down, they are far more
likely to share their intention, " he
said. " Before, it was 'we need to hide
this from the adults. We don't want
anyone to know, because if we do,
they will stop it.' "
Administrators also worked with
students in University City, Mo.,
oritize the student conversations before
you get to that point " of walking
out, he said.
That means administrators should
listen to student concerns, follow
up to show the response, and create
multiple avenues for feedback.
When students pressed for more
mental health support, for example,
Grandview leaders coordinated with
outside agencies to provide services,
and they met with students to share
their plans. They also changed simple
things, like ending a tradition of
different colors of graduation gowns
for boys and girls, after students
complained.
Murley, the Green Bay superintendent,
said it's important to listen to
students, but it's also important that
educators aren't seen as condoning
their causes or favoring one political
viewpoint over another in response
to walkouts. For example, he informs
students that they will face the same
consequences for leaving school for a
demonstration as they would for cutting
class to sit in the park on a sunny
day. During the climate walkout, for
example, students had to deal with
penalties for missed classroom work
and absences.
Groups like the ACLU have made
it clear that students have the First
Amendment right to protest, but
David Joles/The Star Tribune via TNS
Barry Williams/New York Daily News via TNS
http://www.edweek.org
Education Week - February 23, 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Education Week - February 23, 2022
